South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 32, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, January 10, 1997 Page: 4 of 20
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JANUARY 10, 1997
SOUTH TEXAS CATHOLIC
BUBBA THEOLOGICUS
Respect for hire
Definitions:
1. “Bubba”—First name given to a country boy who,
although unpolisliedin theological discourse, takes swings
at folks and institutions prone to denigrate Catholic moral
principles.
2. “Theologicus”—ImsI name given to Bubba in an
attempt to associate him with loftier ideas than those found
on his bumper stickers.
By Rome D. Smyth
If I were to walk up to you with my hand out and ask you
for one dollar, would you give it to me? What if I asked you
for a hundred dollars? Or a hundred thousand? It’s ironic
how professional mooches, plying their trade at a busy
intersection, stir medleys of compassion and outrage for a
few dollars, while politicos, encouraging us to spring for
thousands, expect our continued respect.
Americans are a tender-hearted bunch, aren't we? Unfor-
tunately we’ve been conditioned to qualify our charity. We
are repelled by down-and-outers, begrudgingly slipping
them a few dollars and speeding away quickly. With politi-
cians, it’s a different matter. We fawn over them, handing
over thousands to the same critters that have failed the
indigent who only beg a single dollar.
And now we’ve begun the new year as we have every
year. It's time for those lofty resolutions to supposedly
come together in bipartisanship. Unfortunately, those who
would lead us into the new millennium, are unwittingly
presiding over our wake in the current one.
Have you noticed the background scenery during TV
interviews of politicians? Nine out of 10 times the inter-
views are conducted in front of shelves of books that look
pretty substantial in size and content.
Do you suppose any of those champions of erudition have
read those books? Doubtful. Wouldn't it be the irony of
ironies that just maybe some of those books contain the
solutions for solving the very problems the interviewees
helped to foul up? Amazing. Salvation just an arm’s length
away on the shelves behind them.
I guess if I’ve learned anything in the past year it’s not to
take many things or people too seriously. To laugh even
more at the antics of men and women who rarely command
my respect. It goes without saying, I’ve never lost my
respect for the Eucharist and our Champions of Grace who
would lead us to it. They’ve earned it. But the rest of the
world is merely a Simpson Family rerun.
’’Sounds pretty bleak, Bubba. You're starting out the new
year just chock full of sweetness, aren’t ya! What’s a
matter? Santa pass ya up?”
No, I’m just mad because I’m seeing too much cash
floating around, being used by politicians to destroy reputa-
tions, and providing creature comforts to folks who’ve been
lapping at the public trough too long. Nineteen Ninety Six
was another blight on history. Folks I didn't even know,
tried toconvince me I was having a good time and attempted
to buy my respect. And 1 didn’t even notice it until someone
told me to turn out the lights and go home — the year was
over.
Man, I gotta quit gettin' sucked into all these gee-whiz
notions that only accelerate this relentless spiral into cul-
tural oblivion — our endless tinkering with traditional
standards. You’ve noticed, haven't you, how the newer
generations roll theireyes and smirk when the older genera-
tions swoon over the 50s? Someday, sooner than we think,
the current crowd will begin their laments with, “Remember
when guys married girls” Or, “Can you believe it?! Hardly
anyone smoked pot in those days. Weird, man, weird!” Or
begin their stories for kids with, “Once upon a time when
you could walk on the streets...”
Nobody, certainly not a politician, gets any cash or
respect from me until they show me they can do as much to
lum this planet around as does Sister (you name her),
leaching CCD to a bunch of wet-nosed kids whose only goal
is now more than ever, just staying alive to make their First
Communion.
COMMENTARY
Vatican Letter
Looking toward the millennium: a
more frail pope, a busy 1996
By John Thavis
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A year older and a bit
more frail, Pope John Paul II closed out a busy and
productive 1996 with his eye firmly on an approaching
target: the year 2000.
In December, the pope inaugurated a three-year
preparation program of prayer and spiritual renewal for
the Great Jubilee. His aides say the 76-year-old pope
views this period, aimed at revitalizing the church at its
roots, as potentially the most important in his pontificate.
The pope has been quietly hearing progress reports
throughout 1996 on plans to hold major meetings with
Jews and other religious groups in the lead-up to the
millennial year. He has reviewed ambitious regional
synod plans, and the first such assembly — on the
Americas — will probably be held next fall.
Increasingly, the pope mentions the importance of the
jubilee in speeches to bishops, lay groups and even
foreign ambassadors. The millennium is on his mind, and
he is clearly determined to personally lead the church
across its threshold.
The pontiff s vision for the future is so grand that it
often overshadows the daily evidence that his stamina is
fading, the result in part of a nervous system disorder.
After being sidelined several times with fever, the pope
had a troublesome appendix removed in October. When
doctors announced there were no additional intestinal
problems, many Catholics breathed a sigh of relief. The
pope took it easy for a month and was back on the job in
November.
But around the same time, Vatican officials began to
speak openly of the nervous system ailment, the most
obvious symptoms of which are a shaking left arm and a
tentative gait. While refusing to be more specific, the
officials have not denied reports that the pope suffers
from Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disorder for
which there is no cure.
In late 1996, the disease or the medication for it
appeared to be affecting the pope’s speech, which has
grown noticeably less distinct. At the same time, he has
cut back the number of talks he gives — often replacing
them with written messages — and reduced the length of
speeches.
For a pope known for his ability to communicate, this
has to be a heavy cross to bear, Vatican officials say
privately.
But if these health factors made 1996 a "lesser” year
for Pope John Paul, he could still count a great number of
accomplishments at year’s end:
— He visited three continents in five separate papal
trips, including a historic stop at the spot where the Iron
Curtain came down in Berlin.
— He issued a major document on religious life,
following a synod on the subject in 1994, and published
new rules for electing popes in future conclaves.
— In an important talk to scientists, he updated the
church’s position on evolution, saying the weight of
evidence supports this theory.
— He gave a series of brief yet significant talks on
See VATICAN, page 12
Immigrant, refugee agencies bracing
for hits from new laws
By Patricia Zapor
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Major immigration and
welfare bills approved by Congress in 1996 have left
immigrants and their advocates scrambling to understand
the implications as the new laws evolve into regulations
and policies.
For a Vietnamese widow of an American military
veteran who lives in Texas, the welfare bill will mean an
end to benefits including Medicaid and Supplemental
Security Income. She has lived legally in this country for
15 years. But because she never became a U.S. citizen —
and with a poor command of English is unlikely to do so
anytime soon — the woman will be ineligible for those
programs which now help her make ends meet and
provide her with medical care.
The Texas woman's plight is representative of situa-
tions facing immigrants around the country — particu-
larly the elderly or the disabled — as provisions of the
immigration and welfare bills kick in, explained Abby
Price, a policy analyst with Migration and Refugee
Services of the U.S. Catholic Conference.
The welfare law makes even legal immigrants ineli-
gible for many categories of public assistance like that
which the Texas woman relies upon.
The immigration bill requires applicants for admission
to the country or their sponsors to have a higher income
than previously required, and makes sponsors account-
able for the immigrant’s expenses longer than under the
old law, among other things.
When he signed the legislation. President Clinton said
he thought the bills were loo tough on legal immigrants
and that he would work on easing their effects adminis-
tratively, Price said. Of the billions of dollars of cuts the
welfare law would make, for example, 44 percent, or $23
billion worth, came out of expenditures now made for
immigrants, she explained.
In both laws, “the hardest hit will be the elderly, the
disabled and single mothers," said Price.
Vanna Slaughter, director of Immigrant Counseling
Services for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Dallas,
said amid all the changes her staff is trying to plan for,
they are most frantically trying to figure out how to reach
people like the widow Price described.
“In Texas the effects of the welfare reform legislation
will be devastating,” she said. "Because there is no state
safety net for the indigent.”
“We’re really doing a lot of head-scratching over how
to reach these people,” said Slaughter, explaining that
many of the elderly and disabled immigrants whose
benefits will end are unaware of the changes ahead and
are unprepared to make different arrangements.
A Dallas interfaith group is trying to reach out to find
all the affected people, but Slaughter said realistically it
would take someone at just about every church in the
country looking out for affected people and explaining
their options individually.
Other effects of the Illegal Immigration Reform and
Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 are being antici-
pated as well.
“Providers (of services to refugees) are desperately
trying to figure out what has happened and what it
See IMMIGRATION, page 12
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Espitia, Paula. South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 32, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, January 10, 1997, newspaper, January 10, 1997; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth856000/m1/4/?q=mission+rosario: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .