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FRI-SAT-SUN January 28-30, 2000 vol. 11, no. 20 SECTION TWOSee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
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Today we continue with our new series in the search to uncover the wonderful treasures of the Church contained in the great Deposit of Faith, concentrating on the Books of the New Testament today with the introduction to Peter's Second Epistle. For the ninety-eight installment, see APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH
In this Second Epistle, St. Peter refers to his previous letter and to the doctrine contained in it (3, 1f). It was most likely addressed to the same Christian communities of Asia Minor as the former Epistle, and was occasioned by the appearance among the Christians of false teachers (2, 1), heretics and deceivers (3, 3), who promised them freedom (2, 19), corrutping their good morals (2, 18) and denying the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world (3, 4ff). Its purpose, therefore, was to encourage the Christians to persevere in the faith, and to protect them against the dangers of the false teachers.
The contents of this Epistle, especially Chapter 2, bear such a striking resemblance to the Epistle of St. Jude that it seems probably St. Peter was familiar with the Epistle of his fellow-Apostle and made use of some of its thoughts.
The author calls himself "Simon Peter, a servant and Apostle of Jesus Christ" (1, 1). This statement of authorship is confirmed by the Epistle itself, the author of which described himself as an eyewitness of our Lord's Transfiguration (1, 16-18), and calls Paul his "dear brother" (3, 15).
The time and place of its composition are deduced from 1, 13-15. The Apostle knows that his death is close at hand. As St. Peter died a martyr in Rome, we may conclude that the Epistle was written from Rome during his imprisonment 66-67 A.D.
Monday: The First Epistle of St. John the Apostle
We continue with this special series introducing you to the Princes of the Church. Our one-hundred-fifty-first red-hat we feature, in alphabetical order is 73 year-old Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala, the Uganda-born Archbishop of Kampala on Lake Victoria in east central Africa who has served as shepherd there since 1990. He was elevated to the cardinalate during the Consistory of November 26, 1994 by Pope John Paul II. For more on Cardinal Wamala, see COLLEGE OF CARDINALS COLLECTION
Born on December 15, 1926 in jungle village of Kamaggwa, Uganda Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala was blessed by being brought up in a devout Catholic family that had been converted by missionaries. In 1942 while war was raging in Europe and in the Pacific, things were relatively calm in this east central African republic which had been a British protectorate. This allowed young Emmanuel to pursue his dream - that of becoming a priest. He began this quest at the Seminary of Bukaslasa. A year before he was to be ordained he was sent to Rome to receive his Theology degree at the Pontifical Urban University. This accomplished he was ordained by Pope Pius XII at St. Peter's on December 21, 1957. He stayed on in Rome to continue more studies before returning to his homeland in 1960 where he taught at his alma mater and other Catholic schools in Uganda for the next seventeen years.
During his time teaching he saw his beloved land attain independence in 1962 and be proclaimed a republic the next year and then from 1971 to 1979 the terrible persecution under that mad dictator Idi Amin who was responsiple for the the expulsion of all Asians and the killing of over 300,000 Ugandans. In 1977 Pope Paul VI, who had met Father Wamala during his Papal Visit there in 1969, recalled the Ugandan priest to Rome where the Vicar of Christ bestowed the title "Chaplain of His Holiness" on him. Four years later, with Amin finally deposed, Pope John Paul II remembered this kindly priest, elevating him to the episcopal ranks by naming him Bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana on July 17, 1981. He was ordained and installed on November 22, 1981. After nine years in this post the Pope promoted him to Coadjutor Archbishop of Kampala on June 21, 1988. Two years later on February 8, 1990 he was named Archbishop of Kampala, the capital of Uganda on the shores of beautiful Lake Victoria. That same year he was elected President of the Ugandan Episcopal Conference, a position he was reelected to four years later.
The Holy Father elevated him to the cardinalate during his Consistory of November 26, 1994 where he received the red-hat and the titular church of St. Hugh. In addition ot his duties as Shepherd of the See of Kampala, he enjoys curial membership in the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum." At a young 73, Cardinal Wamala is expected to continue as Archbishop of Kampala for at least two more years and possibly longer if his health continues as strong as it is today.
The Faith was first brought to Uganda by the Missionary White Fathers in 1879 where persecution in the next decade caused the martyrdom of the 22 Uganda martyrs who were canonized by Paul VI in 1964. A Ugandan was the first native African bishop ordained in 1939 and the first hierarchy was established in Kampala in 1953. Since the deposition of Amin, Uganda has still suffered from tribal rivalries and conflicts as missionaries continue to do all they can to maintain the Faith in this land. Cardinal Wamala has been especially concerned with the growing epidemic of HIV/AIDS in his land which has the highest incidence of this deadly disease than any other in Africa. Currently the number of Catholics in Uganda comprises 43% of the total population.
This weekend we commemorate the Feast of the Angelic Doctor Saint Thomas Aquinas on Friday. Saturday we observe Ordinary Time and the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday and Sunday is the FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. For the readings, liturgies, meditations, and vignettes on these feasts, see DAILY LITURGY.
For the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time:
"And they entered Capharnaum. And immediately on the Sabbath He went into the synagogue and began to teach them. And they were astonished at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the Scribes."
To our surprise the mediocre film "Next Friday" beat out Denzel Washington's new vehicle "The Hurricane" which has much more substance. This is only evidence of the fickle movie goers and how mediocre the film fare is this time of year. Because we promised to carry this feature, you get the bad with the good and this week there is little good in the top ten other than "Stuart Little," "The Green Mile" and "Galaxy Quest" for laughs. If it holds any interest for you, For the Top Ten reviews for the 3rd week of the third millennium, prepared by the NCCB, see MOVIES AND MORALS
FONT SIZE=+3>TOP TEN MOVIES FOR THE THIRD WEEK OF JANUARY
See Section Three
(New Line)
Because of sexual situations, intermittent violence, recurring recreational drug
use, bathroom humor and much rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is
A-IV -- adults, with reservations. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -
restricted. "Next Friday" is an unfunny sequel to the juvenile 1995 "Friday" in which central
character Ice Cube moves to his uncle's home in the Los Angeles suburbs trying to escape a
bully only to find trouble with his uncle's Chicano neighbors. The characters become
caricatures as the cast squeezes out nothing but cheap laughs from the thin material.
(Miramax)
Because of implied affairs, sexual references and an instance of rough
language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III - adults. The Motion Picture
Association of America rating is PG-13 - parents are strongly cautioned that some material
may be inappropriate for children under 13. "Down to You" is a romantic comedy about college
sweethearts (played by Freddie Prinze Jr. and Julia Stiles) who become serious when the are too young to cope with the work involved in making a relationship last. The cookie-cutter
film romanticizes the thrill of first love then wraps up all the loose ends too predictably.
(Universal)
Because of brief violence, fleeting rear nudity, some profanity and
recurring rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The
Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. "The Hurricane" is a powerful
fact-based account of the 20-year struggle of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (played by
Denzel Washington) to regain his freedom, aided by an African-American teen (played by
Vicellous Reon Shannon) and his Canadian guardians, after Carter was wrongly convicted of
a 1966 New Jersey barroom triple murder. An a study of institutionalized racism, the movie
chronicles a man's personal agony and triumph as he spiritually transcends his confines
while helped by those committed to social justice.
(Sony)
Because of scenes of menace and a few cuss words, the
U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents..
The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance
suggested. "Stuart Little" is a fetching live-action fantasy in which a talking
white mouse (voice of Michael J. Fox) is happily adopted as the younger
son in a human family (in which Geena Davis plays the mom) only to be
targeted as a meal by mean neighborhood alleycats. As loosely adapted
from E. B. White's 1945 classic, the cheery tale has ample visual appeal,
though purists may find the neatly happy ending a cop-out to the author's
more probing tale of self-discovery.
(Warner Brothers)
Because of some violence including an horrific electrocution, occasional profanity and
intermittent rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. "The Green Mile" is a prison drama set in 1935 Louisana where death-row head guard Tom Hanks comes to believe in the innocence of a huge, gentle black man played superbly by Michael Clarke Duncan whose miraculous healing powers affect those around him in startling ways. Adapted from the serialized 1996 Stephen King novel, the movie is unduly long but presents affecting character studies of good and evil men with spiritual undertones and a sobering depiction of capital punishment.
(DreamWorks)
It's hard to believe this humorous film has been out for over a month and still no available review from the NCCB on this film as of yet, but it has received favorable reviews and is rated PG so it can't be all bad. Actually is quite funny with Tim Allen as a mock William Shatner from "Star Trek" fame.
(Columbia)
Because of a suicide, implied sexual encounters, crude references,
occasional profanity and much rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is
A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. In "Girl,
Interrupted" a half-hearted suicide attempt lands a spoiled teen (played by Winona Ryder) in
a late 1960's private asylum where living with the more seriously disturbed, especially a
charismatic sociopath (played by Angelina Jolie), allows her to gain some insight into her own
problems. Although unevenly adapted from an ex-mental patient's memoir, the movie is
basically engrossing in spite of some melodramatics and sketchy characterizations.
(Paramount)
Because of occasional gory violence, and implied affair,
discreet homosexual innuendo, fleeting full nudity and a few instances of rough language, the
U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-IV -- adults, with reservations. The Motion Picture
Association of America rating is R -- restricted. "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is a disquieting
melodrama set in 1958 Italy where, after befriending a rich expatriate couple (played by Jude
Law and Gwyneth Paltrow), an impoverished young American assumes his identity and
stops at nothing to keep the risky charade going. Adapted from Patricia Highsmith's 1955
novel, a chilling cautionary tale of materialism expanding to grotesque evil unfolds replete with
seductive visuals and sleek performances -- but an ambiguous ending.
