A monthly publication of the Youth Department of the Diocese of Johannesburg Distributed free of charge J

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Have you got your youth group going again? Last year we put a lot of effort into trying to coordinate things at regional level, with less than more success. This year we will concentrate on supporting groups at their own parish level. Many of you are managing very well on your own. At least tell us the good news of what is happening in your group(s) If I have one apple and you have one apple, and I give you my apple, then you have two but I have no apple. However if you have one good idea and I have a good idea, and we exchange them, then we both have two good ideas, and these multiply. So how about sharing your good news! . Other groups do feel the need of some assistance. We will gladly answer any request to come share some ideas which be may helpful, at no charge! Or else why don’t you join in some events which will be run at diocesan level and which can provide a useful cross-pollination of experience. So…

1. Diocesan Youth Forum – 20 February, from 11h00 to 16h00 at the Cathedral Hall. This is an occasion to meet youth leaders from a number of parishes around the diocese, share ideas, experience some formation in youth ministry led by Fr Francois, and be part of the planning of activities at diocesan level. It is intended for youth group leaders and animators. Minimum age level being matric or 17 years upwards.
2. "G-T ’99" – Our annual Get-Together

Bookings are being taken on a first come first served basis. That is, the first 99 to have registered and paid their deposit. Transport for R10 is available from the Cathedral on the Friday evening and returning on the Sunday afternoon. A special T-shirt will be available for purchase at R10. If you still do not have any knowledge about this reunion, contact your parish priest who must have by now received the publicity and registration pamphlet, or else contact the youth office directly… Among the guest speakers during this "G-T" will be Fr Alan Peter SJ, who practices as a medical doctor at the Chris-Hani Baragwanath Hospital; Fr Anthony Sithole, parish-priest of Dube Parish, Vincent and Gemma Kunene who live out their vocation of marriage by helping to prepare others for theirs; and Thea Jarvis and her family and group of volunteers who dedicate their life to saving abandoned babies.

c) Note the other events we are organising and please book early to avoid disappointment…! L

[Check the posters on parish notice boards and ads in the Diocesan News!]

A re-make of one of the greatest love poems ever written: (A 90’s Parent's version of 1 Corinthians 13)

If I speak in the slang of my teens and understand the language of their peers, but do not give them love, I am just like so much noise falling on their ears. If I could tell my children exactly what their future holds; if I knew everything ahead of them, and if I believed that someday each one of them would be successful, but did not give them love, I am nothing. If I give them everything they want; if I sacrifice all I have - even my life - for them, but do not love them, they gain nothing.

Parental love is patient even with straying offspring. It is kind to the daughter who is hurting, even if it is her own fault. It never says: "I told you so!" Parental love is not rude, even to the rebellious son, nor easily angered by his ways. Parental love does not delight in dire predictions which come to pass, but rejoices at the slightest sign of reform in the teen who drifts away. Parental love protects the toddler; firmly guides the adolescent; hopes for those who falter year after year.

Parental love should never give up. Our plans for the future may fail. Our advice may be refused. Our knowledge may fall short, for we do not know everything and we cannot control our children. But we can always love.

When I was a young mother, I was a visionary. I had all the formulas for successful child-rearing. But when my children grew up, I had to put those immature ideas behind me. Now I have no answers; I know so little and my understanding is limited. Only in heaven will I know the rest. There my understanding will be complete, my joy will be total and my tears will be wiped away.

Three things I have now: FAITH that my children will remember their training; HOPE that this will influence their lives for the better, and LOVE that continues no matter what. And the greatest of these three is LOVE!

[- Remember teens – your turn to be parents will come, please God! Be good to your parents now!]

Dear Cassius:Are you still working on the Y zero K problem? This change from BC to AD is giving us a lot of headaches and we haven't much time left. I don't know how people will cope with working the wrong way around. Having been working happily downwards forever, now we have to start thinking upwards. You would think that someone would have thought of it earlier and not left it to us to sort it all out at this last minute.

I spoke to Caesar the other evening. He was livid that Julius hadn't done something about it when he was sorting out the calendar. He said he could see why Brutus turned nasty. We called in Consultus, but he simply said that continuing downwards using minus BC won't work and as usual charged a fortune for doing nothing useful. Surely we will not have to throw out all our hardware and start again? Macrohard will make yet another fortune out of this I suppose. The money-lenders are paranoid of course! They have been told that all usury rates will invert and they will have to pay their clients to take out loans. Its an ill wind ...

As for myself, I just can't see the sand in an hourglass flowing upwards. We have heard that there are three wise men in the East who have been working on the problem, but unfortunately they won't arrive until it's all over. I have heard that there are plans to keep all horses stabled at midnight at the turn of the year as there are fears that they will stop and try to run backwards, causing immense damage to chariots and possible loss of life. Some say the world will cease to exist at the moment of transition. Anyway, we are still continuing to work on this blasted YoK problem. I will send a parchment to you if anything further develops. If you have any ideas please let me know.

Who was Valentine? Patron saint of lovers?

In the third century, the city of Rome was struggling for survival under attack by the barbaric Goths. In Rome itself those who still believed in the old Roman and Greek gods were trying to wipe out a small but growing and defiant "sect" called Christians.

One of the leaders of this Christian group was called Valentine. He had been arrested many more times than Collin Chauke, and had been dragged through the streets in chains as a deterrent for all Roman citizens who might be tempted to claim the existence of a divinity higher than that of the Emperor. He had suffered and survived brutal beatings and months in dungeons. Still he had persisted in his faith with a courage that dazzled his persecutors. The name Valentine comes from "valens", meaning brave, strong, valiant. Quite a different connotation to the flowers are red and hearts are blue images that are connected to Valentine’s day nowadays.

Then in 268 AD, an emperor called Claudius II was elected. War was in his blood. He vowed to destroy both the Goths who were besieging Rome and the Christian "fanatics" who, in his view, were a danger because of their call for peace rather than war. So he got Valentine arrested as he was one of the leading priests among the Christians of Rome. Valentine was placed in the custody of a high ranking officer called Asterius. Now Asterius had begun to compare the ways of the old regime with the new ideas of the Christians. The Christian faith amazed him and the miracles he had witnessed at the hands of Valentine convinced him there was more to Christianity than a political danger. He remained obedient to the emperor, but he saw no reason why a priest, who promoted love of neighbour and healed people who were suffering, should be locked up in a dungeon. So he took Valentine into his own home under protective custody. His secret hope was that Valentine might in fact heal his daughter Livia of her blindness. Livia was the one who was responsible for bringing the food her mother cooked to the "political prisoners" who were held under arrest in her father’s house. As the days passed, Livia listened more and more to what Valentine taught to all who would listen: ‘The gods on mount Olympus are false! There is only one God who is all loving and all powerful…’ One day when Valentine noticed how intently she listened to him and believed what he was saying, he told her to open her eyes and look around. And Livia saw! And she became a Christian. Valentine was released, but two years later he was captured again, at Livia’s home, and was beheaded on the 14^th February 270. Well what’s the connection with LOVE?! According to legend, he wore a deep purple amethyst ring engraved with a tiny figure of Cupid, the pagan god of love, not as a carry-over of old beliefs, but probably as a way to make a point about the true God of LOVE; the God of Jesus Christ. It was a common practice among Christians to give common pagan things a new Christian meaning. So you see, inculturation is nothing new! And Valentine was a great lover… of God and neighbour! J

Further reflections for Valentines day:

- Love is blind, but only in one eye; Hate is blind in both!

- Love is the wisdom of the fool and the folly of the wise!

- Love is like the moon… if it isn’t increasing, it’s decreasing!

- Love is the only kind of fire which cannot be covered by insurance.

- Duty makes us do things well! Love makes us do things beautifully!

- You cannot really love any one person without loving everyone else more!

- God loves us not because we are loveable; we are loveable because God loves us!

- The test of your love is to check out how much are you prepared to do for others for nothing.

Prayer groups:

If you are in the vicinity of the Cathedral on any Wednesday at 12h45 or of Regina Mundi on any Tuesday at 18h00, why not pop in to pray with the youthful group for a half-hour or so? In other youth-prayer-groups which meet regularly and are open to anyone as they should be, please let us know about it so that we can promote them. J

Place an elastic band around each player’s head. Make sure that it crosses the tip of the nose. Players must use their facial muscles to work the rubber bands down to their necks without any use of hands. J

To save up enough to cover the whole cost of one person’s trip requires that you start saving 10 Rand per day until July 2000. The pilgrimage is intended for teens and young-adults from 16-30 years of age. The diocesan youth office is striving to raise some funds to sponsor (up to 80% of the costs) for 8 young people – one from each region of our diocese. From the start of next year (Jan-March) we will be requesting nominations from every interested parish, and following a set of merit criteria, a selection committee will award the sponsorships to the eight, not "lucky" but deserving winners. More details will keep you informed of this fantabulous historic event as we go along. J

Give a year of your life:

Anastacia Ndlovu was due to complete her term of service at the end of January, but since no application from any lady had reached us, it was decided to extend her contract for as long as required to find a feminine replacement for her. You couldn’t have an all-male team in the youth department, could you? And believe it or not within the last week 4 lady applications have been submitted! So the screening process will take place in the next fortnight, and by the DYF meeting on the 20/02 the new "volunteer" for a year of service in the Youth Department will be announced. J

West Rand Youth Groups - An appeal right up your turf!

Peter Sadie, who at one time (long ago in the eighties, around the time of the dinausors) worked in the Youth Department, is at present a youth director at the Djambu Youth Centre situated between Krugersdorp and Randfontein. (Box 580, Randfontein, 1760. 082-8892716). He is trying to establish a group of "Friends of Djambu", who would visit the young guys who stay there and have hardly any visitors. Please contact Peter to find out all the possibilities of some outreach from your group. J

Don’t forget:

Wednesday 17^th is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent! Our 40 days of preparation for Easter. How about not just giving up something but taking on something special: like 5 minutes scripture reading daily; a weekday mass; joining the Stations of the Cross at the parish; visiting lonely, elderly, sickly people…