Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Friday 21 August 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf. 

Reflection for Friday 21^st August 2020: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Many years ago when I worked in the Formation ministry of the Oblates, our Superior Fr Emile Moteaphala OMI would listen when there were problems, and would ponder what was said to him and then give us his counsel. On a few occasions when we were without hope and situations seemed impossible to resolve, Fr Emile would say something like “trust in God and you will see great things”. I remember that every time he said this he was right – “for nothing is impossible to God” (Matthew 19:26, Luke 1:37). 

In our first reading of today’s Mass, the prophet is faced with an impossible situation. He describes a vision in which he has to confront Israel’s total annihilation. He has to walk among the skeletal remains brought about by forces stronger than the chosen people. The context was the Exile during which Israel’s life was disturbed, disrupted and torn apart. In this context the fertile imagination of prophecy announces new life – “for nothing is impossible to God”. The situation of hopelessness becomes the fertile ground for divine intervention. 

Our lives have been disturbed, disrupted and torn apart by an invisible enemy more powerful than ourselves. We have only God who can, as the liturgy says, keep us “safe from all distress”. But being safe from all distress is not merely a situation of neutrality. Conversion means moving from commitment to one thing to commitment to something else. We need to revise our lifestyles. We need to see the ways in which we have drifted from the original template and start to relate more meaningfully to the Lord, the neighbour and the ecology. It is this action that will bring about the new life described by the text. 

Let us pray:
“Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that by the help of your mercy
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen”.

[Blessing]

Bishop Sylvester David OMI
VG: Archdiocese of Cape Town

Archbishop Stephen Brislin offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Wednesday 19 August 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Reflection 19^th August 2020

Greetings and welcome. We heard the wonderful news on Saturday evening that yesterday the country would move to level 2 of the lockdown. While this is very good news, we must be vigilant not to become complacent and careless. The Covid-19 virus is still present among us and so we must continue to take all the precautions, such as washing or sanitizing our hands, wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. We have a responsibility to do so in order that the virus may be managed until such time as the danger has passed, which is going to take some time yet. We are told that we will probably have to continue wearing masks for at least the next 12 months and this part of the “new normal”.  Accepting such responsibility is implied in the first Reading of today’s Mass from the prophet Ezekiel ch.34. We hear him speak these words:

Thus says the Lord God: Ho, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the crippled you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.

Let us pray:

In your kindness, Lord, look upon your your people. Grant us an abundance of love and mercy that we may be transformed into your likeness and so be strengthened to serve you through serving your people. We make this prayer through Our Lord Jesus Christ, who live and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever, amen.

Through his prophet Ezekiel God is speaking to the leaders of Israel – those who are responsible for the care and well-being of the people. It has always been one of the greatest temptations of leaders to slip into bad ways, to give way to greed and self-interest. We often see it in political leadership, regrettably we hear of it in our own country where there are even allegations of the gross misuse of funds dedicated for the health of people in these times of Covid-19. 

But it is essentially true that these words of the prophet should cause a chill in the hearts of priests and bishops, who are entrusted with the spiritual well-being and wholeness of the people in their pastoral care. Sadly, throughout history, there have been faith leaders who have not taken their responsibilities seriously and have used their positions as positions of power, and not authority, and have placed their own interests above those of their flock, feeding themselves while disregarding the welfare of others. The message of Ezekiel must always be heeded by the shepherds of faith and cause us to deeply examine our consciences in the light of them, questioning ourselves whether we are meeting up to the expectations God has of us in how we live our vocation and meet our obligations.

But Ezekiel’s prophecy can, I believe be extended to all those who have responsibility for the well-being of others. Fathers and mothers too, are shepherds of their families and they have been given the responsibility of nurturing, loving and guiding their children. All too often we hear of those who neglect this beautiful vocation of parenthood, either by not caring about their children and ensuring that their needs are met, or by allowing their children to live their lives without guidance and without imparting Christian values to them.

In an even broader sense, we can apply these words of the prophet to our role in society, in the work place and our involvement in different societies or organisations. Ultimately, the challenge for us is to give servant leadership, and to model our lives on the life of Christ who came to serve and not to be served. For a disciple of Jesus, we do not understand our activity in society as being purely for our own advantage or advancement. We regard it as being for the good of our neighbour, and for our striving to build a just, harmonious, peaceful and prosperous world.

It is all about making Christ the centre of our lives, the centre of our words and actions. Today we also celebrate the feast day of the French saint, St John Eudes, who encouraged and promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The heart is regarded as being the centre of the body, the life-giving source. As we reflect and gaze upon the Sacred Heart of Jesus we are trying to make Jesus the centre of everything we do and undertake, the centre of our words and thoughts. To deepen our lives as servant leaders we must have Christ at the centre of our commitment and willingness to serve him. We must turn to him as the life-giving source, the source of all grace, in order that we may be faithful to the common vocation that we all have as disciples, to be servants of each other.

Let us now pray for God’s blessing:

The Lord be with you                                                  R/ And with your spirit

Almighty ever-living God, who have restored us to life by the blessed Death and Resurrection of your Christ, preserve in us the work of your mercy that we may have a life unceasingly devoted to you. Through Christ our Lord, amen.

May almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.

Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Friday 14 August 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf. 

Reflection for Friday 14 August 2020: Maximilian Kolbe – A Saint for our time.

In times of distress, humanity looks for heroes to light up the dark pathways we have to tread. That is why in some places of the world, those on the frontlines are saluted. This happened with the first responders and emergency personnel when New York’s twin towers were demolished, and currently we see it when frontline workers who treat Covid-19 patients are cheered. We need heroes. 

Today such a hero is held up before us by the Church as we celebrate the martyrdom of St Maximilian Kolbe – the Franciscan who died in place of another. The Nazis imprisoned him at the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp in 1941 for offering safety to mainly Jewish refugees in a community he founded. One prisoner escaped and for that ten others had to pay the price by being starved to death. He offered himself in place of one of the men sentenced to die. His logic was that the man whom he replaced had dependents but he, being celibate, had no children to support.

St Maximilian was ahead of his time – discerning a spiritual crisis he urged the Christians to use modern means of communication to evangelise. He founded a newspaper and a radio station – dare we say the precursor of our live-streamed Masses of today! Prior to being imprisoned he studied Buddhism and Shintoism in Japan and spread the Christian message using the Japanese edition of his newspaper. 

This saint is highly relevant for our time. Firstly, Catholic media in South Africa is facing severe difficulties and we need his intercessions. Secondly, we are called to make sacrifices so that others may not become infected with Covid-19. Surely we can learn from this hero who paid the ultimate price. One can have no greater love than to give one’s life for another (John 15:13). The sacrifices we are called to make are relatively small compared to his. We find it difficult to wear a mask – he put on love (Colossians 3:14). The word used for love in the original language of the New Testament indicates the total self giving love that we see on Calvary. We find it difficult to practice social distancing – he practiced the ultimate in distancing. We find it difficult to be under lockdown and curfew even while we stay at home – he was imprisoned in a concentration camp. Let us learn from the example of this great hero of the Christian faith. He knew how to lose his life in order to save it (cf. Matthew 10:39).

Let us pray: Lord, give us strength not to lose sight of your call to each of us during this time of danger. Help us to imitate the St Maximilian Kolbe by making sacrifices for our neighbours and colleagues. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

[Blessing]. 

Archbishop Stephen Brislin offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Wednesday 12 August 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Even in these difficult times there are occasions of great joy. During this past week, Bishop Noel Rucastle was ordained bishop of Oudtshoorn, and Rev. Rui Henriques, who is preparing for priesthood, was ordained a deacon in his home parish of Stellenbosch. We give thanks to God who continues to bless his church with pastors and ministers, and on behalf of all in the Archdiocese I wish them blessings and assure them of our prayers.

In the Gospel reading of today’s Mass (Matthew 18:15-20) we hear these words of Jesus: 

…If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses…”

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we thank you that you sent your Son Jesus to reconcile the world to yourself. Through his love, a love so great that he gave his life for us, we have been granted your forgiveness. Help us Lord always to be grateful for so great a sacrifice and give us the courage to always seek reconciliation among people. We make this prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever, amen.

Reconciliation is key to Christian life. Christ himself reconciled us to God and has made peace through the blood of his Cross (cf. Colossians 1:20). The way to reconciliation has been opened before us and St Paul urges us: “be reconciled to God” ( 2 Corinthians 5:20). Since we are imperfect and often fail to live a life that is filled with self-sacrificing love, we continually need to reconcile with God, to acknowledge our sins and to seek his forgiveness, always committing ourselves to rectifying our faults and trying to do better. As I said in a recent reflection, how blessed we are to have the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Confession. It is a Sacrament of renewal and new life.

But Jesus also stretched out his hands on the Cross that there would be reconciliation among those who accept his embrace, bringing people together in the unity of the family of God. As St Paul says in his second letter to the Corinthians (v19), All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. It is awe-inspiring, and humbling, that we are called to be ministers of reconciliation and that we have been entrusted to conveying and practising the message of reconciliation in the world in which we live.

Reconciliation goes way beyond forgiveness. Even if there is forgiveness, it does not mean that there will be reconciliation, although reconciliation always involves forgiveness. Forgiveness may be personal and individual, whereas reconciliation always involves more than one person. You may have noted in the Gospel reading, Jesus did not say we should sit and wait for the one who aggrieved us to come to us. He urges that we take the initiative to restore the relationship. And that is what reconciliation is – the restoration of relationships, re-establishing peace and harmony. There is so much that militates against reconciliation. In a world of individualism and presumed self-sufficiency, we may be tempted to give up on people, why bother with them, we don’t need them, we can live our own lives without them, we may say. Then there are emotions that can prevent reconciliation – deep hurt, anger, a wish for revenge. Very often it is attitudes of pride and obstinacy that either prevent us from taking the first step, or re-buffing others when they take the first step. Jesus encourages us to be mature about this, to deal with conflicts and divisions in a Christian way. Thus he encourages to go and talk things through.

But it is not only in personal relationships that we need reconciliation. The Covid-19 pandemic has manifested in a stark way the deep divisions among us – between those who live in poverty and those who have excess, political divisions, a nationalism that believes a country can “go it alone”, the divisions between the young and strong, and those who are elderly, vulnerable and sick, the divisions between those who have access to resources and those who don’t, the division between those who selfishly misuse resources and those who are desperate for them. Reconciliation recognizes our inter-dependance. The pandemic has also made us aware of how much we need to reconcile with mother earth which has been exploited and scarred through human selfishness. In essence, Christian reconciliation is about restoring the whole of creation as God intended it to be.

So let us pray earnestly that we will always be agents of reconciliation and never agents of conflict and division.   We need to do that even in the most simple of situations, such as how we use social media – always committing ourselves to be reconciliatory and not divisive.

Let us now pray for God’s blessing:

The Lord be with you                                                                  R/ And with your spirit

Loving Father, we ask you to look kindly upon your people that they may seek to sow the seeds of love, forgiveness, peace and reconciliation, that we may heal divisions in our families, relationships and in society. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord, amen.

May almighty God bless you, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, amen.

Bishop Noel Andrew Rucastle, formerly a priest serving in the Archdiocese of Cape Town, was ordained the 5th Bishop of the Diocese of Oudtshoorn. Here below is the video of his Episcopal Ordination in the Cathedral of the Diocese of Oudtshoorn on Saturday 8th August 2020 at 10.00am. Archbishop Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Cape Town, was the Principal Celebrant. You can also watch it on the Archdiocese of Cape Town YouTube channel or Facebook page.

Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Friday 7 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Reflection for Friday 7 August. Intimacy or Union with God

In his most recent newsletter sent out on 3 August, Archbishop Brislin noted that with the infection rate starting to decline, we are in a position to slowly ease our way back into public worship in the Archdiocese of Cape Town taking all the precautionary measures that are necessary. This calls for great discipline – a word strongly related to the word “disciple”. Indeed without discipline one cannot be a disciple of Jesus. Our appeal is for people to register with their Parish offices and to be generous in allowing as many as possible to attend Mass on a rotational basis. For the duration of the pandemic the faithful may consider a weekday Mass as fulfillment of their Sunday obligation. Perhaps in this way we can get to know how people in remote outstations around the world survive with Mass once a month or once every six weeks.

While social distancing becomes the order of the day, we are challenged to seek ways of showing solidarity with each other. Physically we have to be separated but the very act of separation, our helplessness, our lack of mobility and our lack of freedom place us all in the same boat. In all of this we discover that we can only turn to God “I lift up my eyes to the mountain from whence shall come my help” (Psalm 120). The mountain is a symbol of an encounter with God. The opportunity inside of this crisis is that we can focus on God and deepen our union with the Divine. I am reminded of the words we say when we add a drop of water to the wine at Mass: “by the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity”. 

We are made for union with God but our increasing tendency toward commodifying our lives shifts our focus. In this regard Covid-19 is pressing the reset button. We do not have to compete with the neighbour about who has the better house, car, fashion sense, etc. The neighbour is no longer a threat to me and no longer should be seen as a hostile competitor in an unholy race for material gain. We are all in the same boat as the Coronavirus shatters artificial barriers.

Last Friday I spoke about God’s unfathomable love for each of us. Today I want to emphasise that intimacy with God is what we ought to seek. We are fond of asking people to pray for us and we often pray for others. That is a good practice and we should never stop it. But how nice it would be if, in addition to that, we could make time for alone-ness with God on a regular basis. It all starts with a longing for God cf. Psalm 42 and Psalm 63. 

Perhaps a short preacher’s story can help make the point of direct intimacy with God: A man loved a woman but was transferred to another town. He wrote her a letter every day reminding her of his undying love. This went on for three years and when he returned to the original place he discovered that she had moved. The neighbours told him that she had married a week before and moved house. He was shocked to find out that she married the mailman who delivered his letters for three years. The point in all this is that we cannot have a remote relationship with God through someone else’s prayers. We have to practice intimacy with God on a regular basis and do it first hand.

Let us pray: Loving God your word tells us just how much you long for intimacy with us and yet we find so many trappings to hide from you. Help us to make time each day to spend a few minutes with you so that your love could shine in us. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. [Blessing].

Archbishop Stephen Brislin offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Wednesday 5 August 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Welcome once again to my chapel, a place that is a source of strength and hope for me every time I come in here to pray. It is a place of rest, of calmness and peace. In our busy lives, filled with so many thoughts and uncertainties, we all need a sacred place where we can recollect ourselves and put ourselves in the presence of God. While our parishes are not yet functioning as normal, parishioners can go to the church at certain times during the day to pray. Perhaps you may consider doing that from time to time, simply to be with God in a special way.

In the Gospel of today’s Mass  (Matthew 15-21-28) we hear of the Canaanite woman who approached Jesus, calling him the Son of David, and asking him to heal her daughter who was severely possessed by a devil. The Lord did not initially respond to her and the disciples begged him to send her away. This is what happened next:

But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered , “it is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table. Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith!”

Let us pray:

Loving Father, strengthen our faith that we may never hesitate to call to you in our need ,with deep humility and trusting in your love for us. Grant us endurance when we face difficulties and anxieties, that we may not fail to believe in you, knowing that in the darkest hours you are with us always. We make this prayer through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever, amen.

The Canaanite woman is remarkable in her faith and perseverance. We do not know how she, as a Canaanite, knew of Jesus or what she had heard about him. But when she first calls to him she refers to him as “Son of David”, a messianic term, indicating that she recognized and accepted him as the Messiah. She does not give up on her request to Jesus, even when he initially ignores her and the disciples try to have her sent away. As she persists Jesus says that he was sent only for the lost sheep of Israel and so she kneels before him and utters the words from the depths of her heart, Lord, help me. Jesus still did not respond immediately to her request and gives a stunning reply, it is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. Her faith was certainly put the test, but her response to Jesus’ comment was also stunning and how easy it would have been for her to walk away hurt, or in anger or pride. But she does not. She answers Jesus, her faith in him still strong, saying simply that even the dogs can eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.  And so her daughter was healed instantly. 

This interaction between Jesus, as well as the woman’s faith and persistence, must have had a deep impact on the disciples which, in due course, would help take them out of a narrow, restricted understanding that Jesus, the Messiah, had come to save only the Jews, the chosen people. They eventually came to the realization and knowledge that he is the Messiah of all people. Peter, after the Resurrection and Ascension, when his active ministry of proclaiming the Gospel had begun, expressed this new understanding in these words,  “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.” (Acts 10:34,35). 

The courage, commitment and humility of the Canaanite woman is lesson for us all. Her spirit was so strong that she would not be put off, she did not yield, yet at the same time she never gave into arrogance or a demanding anger. She made her sincere request that came from deep within herself as a cry for help. And she did so humbly. We too, especially now when our faith is being put to the test, need endurance and confidence in God’s love for us. Her faith and confidence in Jesus brought great reward – her daughter was healed. The words of the Book of Hebrews inspire us not to let go of our confidence in God so that we too may receive what we have been promised, “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. ” (Hebrews 10:35-36).

Let us now pray for God’s blessing:

The Lord be with you                                                  R/ And with your spirit

Graciously enlighten you family, O Lord, we pray, that by holding fast to what is pleasing to you, they may be worthy to accomplish all that is good. Through Christ Our Lord, amen.

May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.

Attached below please find newsletter 5 of 2020 from the Archbishop’s office

Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Friday 31 July 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Reflection for Friday 31 July 2020

Today the Church holds before us the shining example of St Ignatius Loyola and we wish all our Jesuit friends and colleagues a happy feast day. Had this not been a feast day the closing prayer at the Mass would have referred to the Eucharist as a gift given by the Lord “with love beyond all telling” – and that is the subject for our reflection for today: God’s love.

At the outset it must be noted that unless we have come to realise just how much God loves each one of us, we have not started to live – we merely exist, or to put it another way, we have died and are just too lazy to fall down! This should be the start of our journey as disciples and yet it is hardly mentioned. Sadly the opposite is referred to. Think of how many times the name of Jesus is used to frighten children. A child does something naughty and s/he is conditioned to believe that Jesus is angry and upset. Some grow up believing that God is a harsh judge just waiting to exact revenge for their bad behaviour. How far from the truth we have ventured!

What then is the truth? The basic truth is that God loves us with a love beyond all telling. In the text which I used for the closing prayer last Friday St Paul speaks of the “superabundance” of God’s love – which is “beyond anything we could ask or imagine”.

The Bible abounds with texts describing God’s tender love for us, his children. In Psalm 139 we are told that before he formed us in the womb he loved us. In Isaiah 49 we are told that he has carved us on the palm of his hand. In Isaiah 63 and 64 the prophet gives us access to a language rich in fatherly love as he addresses God: “After all, you are our Father”. This section of Isaiah was composed in the aftermath of the Babylonian captivity when Israel was trying to reconstruct its life (reconstruction is a familiar concept in South Africa). The poem remains faithful to the vision and doctrines proclaimed earlier in the scroll and adapts these to the life situation of discouragement and desolation. This is why in the midst of a pandemic those with faith can look to the future with hope. Other prophets have also used the language of love when describing our God. Consider the following texts:

Jeremiah 31:20 – “Is Ephraim, then, so dear a son to me, a child so favoured, that whenever I mention him I remember him lovingly still? That is why I yearn for him, why I must take pity on him, Yahweh declares”.

Jeremiah 3:19 – “And I was thinking: How am I to rank you as my children? I shall give you a country of delights, the fairest heritage of all the nations! I thought: You will call me Father and will never cease to follow me”. This is the loving heart of a father yearning for his children.

Hosea 11:1-4 – “When Israel was a child I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt … I myself taught Ephraim to walk, I myself took them by the arm, but they did not know that I was the one caring for them, that I was leading them with human ties, with leading-strings of love, that, with them, I was like someone lifting an infant to his cheek, and that I bent down to feed him”.

These are only a few verses which I quote. Read the Bible and see for yourselves. The wonder in all this is that we do not have to be perfect before we are loved. That is very clear in the letter to the Romans. God loved us while we were still sinners and when we discover this love we change and become better people.

In contemplating texts about God’s love e.g. the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15, we can be moved to tears. In fact in some cases if we are not moved to tears we have not read the text properly. Do not prevent the tears as according to St Oscar Romero, some aspects of life can only be seen through eyes which have cried. 

Let us pray:
Father of love, you love us with a love beyond all telling. Help us to live in this love and to share it with others and with all of creation. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen [Blessing].