Speak Truth to Power

I read Terry Witt’s letter to the editor (June 7 issue) with sadness and resignation, sadness because of the children murdered throughout the world and resignation because this has been coming on for decades, this being, the Christian embrace of infanticide; or, as many of our fine civilian leaders call it “having a discussion” — a discussion, about what?

If a child lives through an abortion, she is to be made “comfortable” — and then what, killed? Let us pray for the strength to know, understand and speak what the truth is.

I guess one can embrace the position that “the truth is whatever I or anyone else thinks or wants to think it is — I’m okay; you’re okay.”

My first thought was to the Gospel of Luke, about Jesus weeping over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), the same God that gives grace freely, for us to enter into salvation; the God that weeps over our choice of iniquity and our fear or the casual indifference to confront what is evil, our love that has “grown cold.”

If someone reserves the right to kill me, then what do I care of his meaningless platitudes about my liberty and happiness?

Maybe a gesture of great benevolence — the old King Nebuchadnezzar did as much.

My friend in Mexico will wait a mere two years instead of four to immigrate to this great nation.

Do I lick the jackboots of accommodation of those civil servants that help me find such agreeable outcomes?

Do I evaluate the corporal acts of mercy of others or do I impose them on myself?

The bottom line, up front, is:

One can take their hats, slogans, palm cards, lawn signs and bumper stickers and do whatever you do.

Our first and foremost allegiance is to God, then our families and our country.

The best thing we can do is pray, pray for our country, and our leaders and those who want to be leaders — pray for their souls.

We will all receive information from our respective bishops around election time.

In it, we will be directed to vote with a “well-formed conscience,” the conscience imbued to all human beings by God, and in the Catholic Christian case, fortified by the Church.

I prayerfully beseech God to lead us to the truth. I know, when we die, we want to be in a state of grace, and be on the right side, the true side, of the “discussion” and any other moral issues that our government leaders, fellow Americans, or world citizens embrace.                  

            Christopher E. Conley

            Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

 

Clarification

The story “Church vs. State in San Francisco Shutdown Showdown” by Joan Frawley Desmond, which ran in the July 19 edition, was updated online to reflect information provided by the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office that houses of worship were never permitted to reopen for indoor Masses after being shut down due to the pandemic.

The original story implied that city officials had allowed religious services to resume in June and then changed course.

According to John Coté, communications director for the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, the Archdiocese of San Francisco was never given permission to open church doors.

The California Department of Public Health released guidelines allowing for the resumption of religious services in late May, but houses of worship were subject to the approval of the local county.

San Francisco’s reopening plan had originally scheduled houses of worship to open June 15; but citing a rise in COVID-19 cases, the city did not grant permission for religious services to resume.