Attached below please find a letter of thanks from Bishop Sylvester David OMI, Auxiliary Bishop of Cape Town.

Archbishop Stephen Brislin offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Wednesday 24 June 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. 

As we enter into an intense period in the Western Cape, when we are going to witness a rise in the number of Covid-19 infections and a rise in the death rate, we turn with confidence to the Lord our God to guide us through this pandemic and to lead us into the ways in which he wishes us to walk. Today’s celebration commemorating the birth of St John the Baptist, reminds us particularly of the presence of God in the world and that his plan for redemption continues to unfold. In the First Reading of today’s Mass, from the Prophet Isaiah, we hear these words:

And now the Lord says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him (Isaiah 49).

Let us pray,

Heavenly Father, creator of all that lives and has its being, we thank and praise you for the gift of life, for you, Father, are indeed the source of all life. In our sinfulness we do much harm to creation which you have entrusted us, but you do not desert us and you continue to call us to the restoration of creation as you intended it to be. Be close to us especially now, as we face many anxieties and uncertainties, and lead us to live our faith by promoting life and wholeness, always respecting the beauty and dignity of all that exists. We make this prayer through Our Lord Jesus Christ, you Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

Over the past few decades there has been a deepening understanding and awareness of the rights common to every human being. In more recent times, the consciousness of the need to protect and respect the environment has also grown – life depends on the earth which God has created. For we who are Christian, such an understanding of the dignity of life and the rights of people, is not a mere human philosophy or a political understanding of a human rights culture. It flows from our faith, from what we know and believe about God’s creation, about the meaning of life and about our role as human beings to which the world has been entrusted. All life is from God and life has been given through the Word, Jesus Christ. In the words of St John: Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him (Jn 1:3). Life is no accident, and nothing lives without having been brought to life by God. John the Baptist’s birth was fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Testament, and he was chosen to be the one who would “prepare the way of the Lord”, to call people to repentance and to turn once again to God. In the words of his father, Zechariah,: as for you little child, you will be called prophet of God the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare a way for him (Luke 1:76). It is not only St John the Baptist who was chosen by the Lord – we fundamentally believe that everyone has life because God wishes it to be so. We are part of God’s plan.

Life is a miracle. It is a miracle we take for granted because of familiarity – we are accustomed to other living beings and other human beings. And yet, the birth of every child is a miracle. You, too, are a miracle created by God. Our bodies, the bodies of all animals and, indeed, all life is miraculous. Your body continues to function in thousands of ways without you even being aware of it – I suppose it is only when things go wrong with our bodies that we realise how much we took it for granted.

How scandalous it is, then, when we lose our respect for life and for the dignity of all creatures, but most especially human beings. In South Africa we are continually shocked and scandalized by the ongoing violence against women and children. In the United States the “Black lives matter” movement has gained momentum and has spread throughout the world. It is not as if people are saying that it is only Black lives that matter, or the lives of women and children – it is because of the particularly heinous crimes acted out on the vulnerability of people and discrimination against them. Such violence is not only anti-social but it is anti-God, as all violence is. We have a right to defend ourselves but we do not have a right to perpetrate violence. One of the greatest forms of violence – and one which many people take for granted and exclude from a “human rights” understanding – is the violence against the unborn. Millions are aborted annually.

The point is that as people of faith we promote life holistically – at all stages of life and for all people – from womb to tomb and without discrimination. This pandemic has made us aware of this as we become more and more conscious of the fact that other people’s health depends on us. Managing the virus is a life issue and that is why the Church is urging us more and more to be responsible in our behaviour and to embrace the behaviour change that is necessary to protect the lives of others. Let us re-commit ourselves to open our eyes and to marvel at the wonder of creation and the miraculous works of God, that we may promote and defend all life including the very earth itself.

Let us now pray for God’s blessing:

The Lord be with you                                                                  R/ And with your spirit

Heavenly Father, look kindly on your people as we continue to struggle through these painful times. Open our hearts anew, O Lord, that we may be guided by you to recognize your miraculous works and to never take them for granted. Keep us in your love, Lord, keep our families and loved ones safe, and be close to us especially when things grow dark. 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 12th June 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.

Friday 12th June 2020. 

A reflection on the Eucharist. Suggested passages Mark 6:34-44 & Exodus 16.

With the feast of Corpus Christi coming up, I thought it would be useful to reflect on the Eucharist. Many people restrict the biblical passages referring to the Eucharist to the accounts of the last supper, but very early on in the Gospel stories Jesus took the bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it. See for example Mark 6:34-44. When Jesus broke bread in the wilderness he tapped into the collective religious memory of the Hebrew people. This sets us up for further reflection.

Those who benefitted from the miracle will undoubtedly have recalled the wilderness generation that was miraculously fed by God (cf. Exodus 16). They had departed from Egypt and were starving. It was the need for bread that took them to Egypt in the first place. Pharaoh had bread and the first year they bought bread from Egypt. The second year they had no money and paid with their livestock. The third year, having neither money nor livestock, and still feeling the hunger pangs, they paid with their very selves as they became Pharaoh’s slaves. You can read about this in Genesis 47. Moses was appointed by God to lead them out of bondage and he did so with a great struggle but with God on his side he led them out. 

As soon as they crossed the Red Sea they started to complain. They were longing for the fleshpots of Egypt. It was important for them to feel their hunger because it was this hunger that separated them from the bread of Pharaoh. So they crossed the Red Sea in Exodus 14, sing the Song of Victory in Exodus 15 and in Exodus 16 God gives them bread. But this bread is so strange that they exclaim: ‘man-hu’ (which is Hebrew for ‘what is this?’). We have anglicised it to ‘manna in the desert’.

God’s bread was unfamiliar to them but they would soon learn as this bread came with trademark instructions on the loaves as it were. Each was to take only what was needed. Any extra would end up smelling foul. With God’s bread there was no warrant for hoarding (as Pharaoh did) and no need for Pharaoh’s strategies. Each could be neighbour to the other. There was no need for slavery and God’s bread was sufficient for each day. 

In Christian language this is called ‘our daily bread’ and it is only possible where people share. To the extent that we refuse to share we bring Pharaoh’s reality into the Promised Land. Meaningful participation in the Eucharist is only possible when I situate myself outside the logic of the Pharaohs of this world and share my bread with the hungry. I wish you a meaningful reflection on the bread that God gives.

[Concluding prayer & Blessing].

Bp 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 10 June 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. 

As we feel the cold weather coming in, let us remember especially those who do not have sufficient shelter or food. The lockdown has made us much more aware of the inequity of our society and the deep economic gulf that exists in our country. Compassion and care for others is an important lesson for us to learn from the Covid-19 crisis. Thank you for joining me for this reflection.

In the Gospel of today’s Mass we hear the words of Jesus: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not one iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until it is accomplished.”  (Matt 5:17ff).

Let us Pray:

Heavenly Father, you sent your Son into the world in fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Testament and of the law given to Moses, and he led us to the knowledge that the prophecies and law do not pass away until they are accomplished. He has called us to appreciate and to live their deeper meaning, he  has called us to a life of grace through loving you with all our being, and loving our neighbour as we do ourselves. Open our hearts, Lord, so that they may be filled with this grace and that we may always express our love of you through service to our brothers and sisters. 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.

Pope Francis has frequently spoken of the loneliness and anonymity of modern times. Especially those who live in large cities often experience an intense loneliness and sense of isolation, even though they live among thousands or even millions of people. Isn’t ironic that in the present crisis we are isolated and limited in our social interaction and yet in many ways feel much closer to people, even though we cannot physically be with them. Through the difficulty and struggle of this period many of us have re-discovered values that we may have neglected, and one of those values is our Christian response to those who suffer. This captures the essence of Jesus saying that he had not come to abolish the law but to fulfil it.

The commandments of God stand – they are for all time and Jesus was very clear in saying that he was not changing one iota, one dot, of the law. But while they remain and are true, they are not sufficient in themselves, more is needed, and that is why we have been called to a life of love. Jesus, in response to a question by one of the scribes, responded Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (cf. Mk 12:30ff).

Sometimes we would call this the “spirit of the law” as opposed to the “letter of the law”. While we are most certainly expected to keep the commandments we are meant to go far far beyond that. This present time is indicative of that, when we are reminded in a very dramatic way that we are meant to think of the good of our neighbour and to turn away from selfishness and to turn away from slipping into the comfort of doing was is simply pleasing to ourselves. It is a challenge to counter-act the anonymity of “life in the city” and to be able to reach out to, and give support to, those who feel lonely, isolated and unsupported. It is a challenge to us not to regard the Eucharist as purely a ritual celebration with a value in itself, but that it is a lived expression of Jesus’ compassion and love to all people. We are presently cut off from receiving Communion, but we are not cut off from Eucharist itself because it is something we should be practising every moment of our day. After all, at the Last Supper, when Jesus gave us the Sacraments of priesthood and Eucharist, he said – after taking, thanking, breaking and giving the Bread, and giving the Chalice – “do this is memory of me”. It was a command he gave us to which we are faithful to the present day, through all the ages, when the Eucharist is celebrated. But we should not neglect the other instruction he gave us at the Last Supper. He said, just as I have washed your feet you too must wash each other’s feet (cf.Jn 13:14). In giving us this instruction he intimately connected Eucharist to giving humble service to others, to our neighbour. Just as the commandment to love our neighbour cannot be separated from the commandment to love God, so too the instruction to “wash each others’ feet cannot be separated from the Eucharist. Jesus has inseparably linked Eucharist to charity, that is, to a lived love and compassion towards others. In other words, we could say that receiving Communion is not only for my consolation and strengthening, it is about changing my heart from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh, so that I may bring the loving, compassionate care of Jesus to others.

Let’s now pray for God’s blessing.

The Lord be with you                                                   R/ And with your spirit

Heavenly Father, we ask you to bestow your blessing upon us, our families, our parishes and our society, that we may be enthused by your Holy Spirit to proclaim the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ through our words and actions. May we be faithful to the Eucharist by learning to be compassionate, non-judgemental and forgiving people. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord, amen.

May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.                        R/Amen

Thank you once again. Be strong and persevere in the faith.