Faith Boost

The article by Patti Armstrong “Faithful Antidote to Pagan Worship” (Culture of Life, Nov. 24 edition) was a positive, informative, faith-boosting response to a very confusing and unfortunate occurrence (the pachamama controversy in the Vatican). Good job!

In general, I have appreciated your publication’s clear and helpful reporting in a very confusing time in the Church, especially for longtime, faithful Catholics. My only encouragement to you would be, to the extent that there persists a lack of transparency and urgency on the part of the U.S. bishops and the Vatican in getting the facts out about how a homosexuality crisis in the Church in the U.S. occurred and continues to exist, your staff engage in its own investigative efforts and provide clear, factual information on the matter. May God continue to bless your work!

         Charles L. Roelant

         Paradise, Michigan

 

Better-Equipped

The article, “5 Myths About Married Priests in Eastern Catholicism,” by Anthony Dragani (In Depth, Nov. 24 edition) was very informative. I learned something new today and am now better equipped to answer questions from others should the occasion arise. Thank you.

         Marjorie Hennessey

         Burlington, Vermont

 

Misplaced Mistrust

I am aware of the bandwagon of institutional mistrust of the Jesuits toward which Father De Souza seems to be trying to lead us (“Jesuit Martyrs, Old and New,” NCRegister.com, Nov. 14). I have some thoughts.

First, he accuses Jesuit General Sosa of denying the historical accuracy of the Gospels. That’s an unfair interpretation of Father Sosa’s words. Father Sosa does say that Christ’s words have been interpreted by everyone, including the original Gospel writers. That is a fact. Furthermore, for the word to remain a living thing, we must continue to interpret it as best we can, always within the limitations of our current understanding of the relationship between God and humanity. That may even be the definition of Catholic theology.

As for the existence of the devil, Father de Souza takes Father Sosa completely out of context. In the middle of a long answer to a question about free will and the nature of evil, Father Sosa says that people have a tendency to give evil a personality in the form of the devil. He does not deny either the existence of Satan, or of evil, or of God, for that matter. He’s answered for this on a number of occasions. 

Father James Martin is most famous for questioning whether our Catechism promotes hatred when it states that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered.” Can we take that to mean that our Catechism hasn’t changed on any points of faith in the last 2,000 years and should therefore never be questioned? How about the idea of Christians renouncing their faith to save their own lives? I believe Father Martin may have gotten that idea from that other New-Age radical theologian, St. Augustine. Not all are called to martyrdom.

I won’t go too deeply into Father Spadaro and his accusation that Christianity in the United States is often a weapon of war rather than peace. Perusing any newspaper will make that case for him. The accusation that he believes 2+2 can equal 5? That is the very nature of faith.

Then Father De Souza toys with the idea that the Jesuits’ dedication to social justice may or may not have a relationship to the decline in their numbers. Oh, I know he only hints and then pulls back, but the inference is clear. Post hoc ergo propter hoc? How are vocations in the other orders and in our dioceses going? 

The Jesuits’ efforts in coming to terms with their colonial past should be seen as a point of strength, not a weakness. That they wish to highlight their latter martyrs ahead of their earlier ones is not a betrayal of the past: It’s a sign of their vitality and continued relevance in the present.

One last point: The Jesuits, since their foundation, have been considered shocking. That is their gift to us. They’ve already proven that God does not want them suppressed, and now the Holy Spirit has guided the cardinals to select one as our pope. Let them think out loud! We need to be prepared for the occasional challenge to cloistered attitudes. I am glad that some Church fathers are giving voice to the questions many of us faithful hold quietly in our hearts.

         Bill Knott

         Hamilton, Ontario

 

Mystery of the Eucharist

First, I want to compliment the Register. It is without a doubt the finest Catholic publication on the market today. Its dedication to traditional Catholic values makes it a leading voice for dogma of the Church.

I would like to express two opinions regarding the special section in your Sept. 29 edition.

“The Mystery of the Eucharist” was simply outstanding. It was profound and at the very heart of what is means to be Catholic. Every article and every author presented the most profound and thought-inspiring representation of the most important issue facing the Church today.

My second opinion is much less positive. After reading the article on Archbishop Charles Chaput, I am appalled that he has not been made a cardinal. To me, this is a true reflection of just how political the Church leadership has become with liberal cardinals and bishops blocking the advancement of individuals more dedicated to more orthodox Catholic doctrine.

         Hugh Becker

         Dayton, Ohio

 

Christmas Spells Love

In 1957, our nation was privileged to see the release of the film The Miracle Worker. This was a portrayal of the early life of Helen Keller, who was born in 1880 and at 19 months old contracted meningitis that so affected her brain that she came through this fever blind, deaf and mute.

The movie takes place in Helen’s life when she is about 6 years old. Because of her extreme disability and her parents not knowing what they could do to help her function, her parents hired a woman trained to work with the blind and the deaf named Anne Sullivan, played in the movie by Anne Bancroft.

The role of Helen was brilliantly played by Patty Duke, so realistically acted that viewers could easily mistake her as the real Helen. When Anne Sullivan is hired, Helen is very unruly, tries to be disruptive to get her own way and resists Anne’s attempts to train her to understand finger-signing.

Anne, in her struggle to teach Helen discipline and signing, had her taken to a cottage separated from the main house, and the family were told to keep away from them, as she needed to be totally alone with Helen.

The struggle continues for both Anne and Helen, and some success is achieved in that Helen has found in herself a certain level of discipline, but not with any understanding of finger-signing and relating objects with certain words. The parents are satisfied with this and want to take her home, but Anne is not content at all; she wants Helen to understand the language that she is trying to teach her.

In the most dramatic scene in the movie, Anne and Helen are with the family, and Helen tries to test Anne and begins to be disruptive. The scene unfolds with Anne carrying Helen out to the well and pumps water out, with Helen feeling the water in one hand and Anne signing into her other hand, w-a-t-e-r. Helen stops. She is understanding something; she wants Anne to pump again and then spell again into her hand. Suddenly, a miracle happens: Helen can relate words spelled with the things she is touching. This scene would never fail to bring copious tears to anyone’s eyes.

A very great miracle was visible one silent night about 2,000 years ago, when the eyes and ears of humanity would be totally opened to divine truth. This was the night God brought his only begotten Son to earth through a virgin birth to bring us all to a more abundant life. The word L-O-V-E was spelled out for us also. Love now means how much God loves us, and forgiveness, trust, strength, compassion, mercy, healing, peace and great hope are part of this love.

Our miracle will happen when we embrace this love and make it part of our lives so we can know Christ as God wants us to know love, for God is love.

Love comes to the world as God’s perfect Christmas gift.     

         Peter Pinette

        Woodland, Maine