4
The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana
Perspective
By PAUL
a LEINGANG
Message Editor
The first carefully applied paintbrush full of
waterproofing soaked quickly into the wood. It
was early Saturday morning, with the promise of a
warm day, a perfect time to seal the wooden deck-
like steps I had built last summer.
Perhaps it was not really the perfect time to
seal the pressure treated wood. Some time last
summer would have been better.
But a warm day in December, with the sun
breaking through the clouds and no rain in the im-
mediate forecast, was as perfect a day as I could
expect to find.
The second careffllly applied stroke of the
paintbrush again proved pleasing, as the sealing
liquid soaked deeply into the wood. Another dip
into the can and another stroke of the brush com-
pleted one small plank. Sealed and unsealed
wood were dramatically distinct. It was pleasant
work, to see a little effort make such a difference.
Three levels of small deck sections make up
December 13,
Our thirst is not
quenched by stingy strokes
the steps leading to a screened porch. One by
one I covered the upper surface area of the sec-
tions, and then the sides. The tops were built of
alternating two-by-fours and two-by-sixes. The
sides, two-by-sixes.
As I sealed the sides, I returned again and
again to the end of the one plank at the front of
each section. Waterproofing soaked rapidly into
the end grain of those three planks.
The rhythm of the work quickened as I pro-
gressed from surface to surface, the upper faces
and the sides -- and again, I applied another
stroke of tile brush to the end graim and again it
soaked deeply into the wood.
My first strokes of the paintbrush were ap-
plied with great care. Towards the end of the
first coat, as the unsealed surface area dimin-
ished, so did my carefulness. And again, with
paintbrush dripping, I returned to the end grain.
Again, the liquid disappeared into the wood.
The second coat, several hours later, re-
peated the pattern of the work of the first•
Finally, the wood had drunk its fill.
As Christmas approaches, some of us must
drink more deeply of the promise God has
given to us all before we reach the fulfillment
promised to all of humankind.
My thoughts wander among the Christmas
images of light coming to darkness, of joyful
sounds in a world of silence -- but it is too
soon. It is still tile season of Advent, and in this
season, the image which captures my imagina-
tion is the wood thirsting for salvation -- avail-
able to us all in divine abundance.
Our thirst is not quenched by stingy
strokes. Like the end grain of the wood, we are
rough and in need of care, and our thirst will
only be satisfied by the one who will pour him-
self out for us.
Washington Letter
Of advent, hostages and listening to 'voices of discontent'
By LAURIE HANSEN
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) --
Across the nation yellow rib-
bons are already being re-
placed with Christmas tinsel
and greenery.
It seemed appropriate
somehow that it was during
Advent -- the Christian sea-
son of anticipation m that the
long wait endured by the last
three U.S. citizens held cap-
tive in Lebanon finally came
to an end.
The waiting continued,
however, for two German aid
workers still held hostage and
their families, as it did for
250 Lebanese prisoners who
remain captive in Israel.
Any kind of permanent
peace in the Holy Land and
understanding between Arabs
and Israelis, between Muslim,
Christian and Jew, between
Western and Middle Eastern
peoples and nations re-
mained elusive.
A freed Terry Anderson,
44, chief Middle East corre-
spondent for The Associated
Press, the day of his release
said he hoped hostages
would never be taken again,
but also expressed his convic-
The MESSAGE
4200 N. Kentucky Ave.
Evansville, IN 47720-0169
Weekly newspaper of the
Diocese of Evansville
Published weekly except last week in
December by the Catholic Press of
Evansville
Publisher .............. Bishop Gerald A. Getteltinger
Associate Publisher ............... key. Joseph Ziliak
Editor ............................................ Paul Leingang
Production Manager ........................... Phil Boger
Circulation .................................... Susan Winiger
Advertising .................................... Paul Newland
Address all communications to P.O.
Box 4169, Evansville, IN 47724-0169
Subscription rate:
$17.50 per year
Single Copy Price: $.50
Entered as 2nd class matter at the post
office in Evansville, tN 47701. Publica-
tion number 843800.
Postmaster: Retur n POD forms 3579
to Office of Publication
Copyright 1991 Catholic Press of Evansville
He maintains such a s.c"
nario is unlikely given U;
economic constraints coOPl
with the reluctance of t
U.S. public to "get involV°
in military conflicts overS. ,
tion that the Western world
needs to try to understand the
message of his Muslim funda-
mentalist captors.
Asked by his captors to
read a statement to the world,
Anderson did so Dec. 4 but
prefaced it with words of his
own. He made clear that the
captors' statement -- which
invoked Allah and called the
United States "the plunderer
of the world" -- was not his
own and that he disagreed
with parts of it.
But he called it "important
for people to understand
what (his captors) think and
believe. The language and ex-,
pressions aren't familiar to
many in the West. It's based
on a different culture. We
should try to understand it."
Anderson's captors, in their
statement, said that by taking
the hostages they "made the
world listen to our voice and
the voice of tile oppressed
and suffering people."
They accused the United
States of having "planted Is-
rael in the region, then fixed
it and then supported it with
huge arsenals of weapons and
material capabilities."
Robert C, Johansen, senior
fellow at the Institute for In-
ternational Peace Studies at
the University of Notre Dame,
told Catholic News Service
Dec. 5 that an important thing
to be learned from the
hostage-taking episode is the
need "to listen to the unheard
voices of discontent."
"I'm not saying (hostage-
taking) is justified. I don't
think it's ever justified, but
people use desperate tactics"
when they feel they can't be
heard, said Johansen.
He said after World War II
for many years hostage-taking
was rare. It wasn't until U.S•
and Israeli policy angered so
many in the Arab world that
hostage-taking became com-
mon, he said.
He called for an interna-
tional crilninal court for deal-
ing with hostage-takers, say-
ing such a mechanism would
reduce the temptation to take
innocent people captive.
"This way if there is to be
action taken against captors it
can be done in a way that
isn't perceived as the Chris-
tian wealthy West against
poorer Islamic Arabs of the
Middle East," said Johansen.
He said many Arab nations
are strongly opposed to ter-
rorism and would welcome a
way to support an interna-
tional effort that would
counter the stereotype that all
Arabs support hostage-taking.
While the United Nations
hasn't always been seen as an
effective global octet-, Jo-
hansen said the Persian Gulf
War "left the U.N. with an en-
hanced reputation."
He backs proposals to ex-
pand the number of nations
represented in the U.N. Secu-
rity Council "to more accu-
rately reflect the world popu-
lation" by adding Germany,
Japan, Brazil and Nigeria. Un-
like the United States and
four other nations with per-
manent seats on the council,
these new members would
not have veto power, he said.
The long-term goal would
be that no nation have a veto,
he said.
Johansen cited a fear
among Third World nations
that with the fall of commu-
nism leaving the United
States as "the dominant
power, it will assume it can
have a free hand" throughout
the world.
U.S. casualties•"
• of tlae
While the collapse ,0
Soviet Union helned sot t,o
stage for the freeing of;
hostages, Johansen also c ....
its "a more pacific form ql.l
.... wlll"
ternahonal relations .S
he sees emerging. He beliey
there is a Rrowin realizaOi
that "you can't solve pr
lems of terrorism" with ru
violence, r0S
Anderson, at a Dec. 6 P: ,
conference in WiesbadeJ
Germany, seemed to agre0.,o
He said the United St.ic i
was taking the "right p0,,
in warkine hard to imPW],
relations in the Middle a.
.ArIP"
with Syria, with Iran, "
0t,.
Lebanon, and trying to b
honest broker."
Bishop's schedule
The following activities and events are listed on the
schedule of Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger.
Dec 17, 4 aal meeting for
san employees.
Bishop's staff, Catholic Center, Thursday,
19, 10:15 a.m.
Diocesan Finance Council, Bishop's house,
Thursday, Dec, 19, 3:30 p.m. CST. " .i
Mass at Mater Dei High School, Evansville, Frr
day, Dec. 20, 7:40 a.m. CST.
Serra Club of Evansville, Friday, Dec. 20, 1oola
CST.
Installation of Father David Fleck, St. Phil
Church, St. Philip, Sunday, Dec. 22, 10 a.m. CST
