[Apologetics] Bishops Take A Stand

[Dianne Dawson]

Bishops Take A Stand

CRISIS Magazine - e-Letter

May 7, 2004

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Dear Friend,

With John Kerry and so many other pro-abortion "Catholic" politicians in the news these days, it's easy for us to get discouraged with our Church's leaders when we don't see them responding to the challenge these politicians represent.

That's why it's so important for us to acknowledge those priests and bishops who DO stand up to defend the Faith. They need to hear how much we appreciate their witness to the Truth. And if they were assured of our public support, perhaps some of our more timid leaders would follow suit and stand up as well.

But even more than that, we laity need encouragement, too. All too often we let ourselves get bogged down in the bad news that surrounds us -- and I know there's plenty of it -- instead of stopping for a minute to acknowledge the many positive developments that go unnoticed.

So to that end, let me take the opportunity today to bring you some very encouraging words from a few bishops who have recently stood up to defend the Church's teaching on life issues... and the Catholic voter's responsibility to act accordingly. 

I think you'll enjoy the good news...

First, Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark released a wonderful pastoral statement on Wednesday titled "A Time for Honesty." In it, the archbishop does a fantastic job of explaining the Church's uncompromising support of life and what that means for the laity. He takes great care to emphasize our responsibility to form our consciences in light of the Truth and to be in full communion with the Church and Her teachings before presenting ourselves to receive the Eucharist.

But I'll let Archbishop Myers speak for himself...

"There is no right more fundamental than the right to be born and reared with all the dignity the human person deserves. On this grave issue, public officials cannot hold themselves excused from their duties, especially if they claim to be Catholic. Every faithful Catholic must be not only 'personally opposed' to abortion, but also must live that opposition in his or her actions."

"Catholics who publicly dissent from the Church's teaching on the right to life of all unborn children should recognize that they have freely chosen by their own actions to separate themselves from what the Church believes and teaches."

"To receive communion when one has, through public or private action, separated oneself from unity with Christ and His Church, is objectively dishonest. ...Because the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, the most sacred action of our Church, to misuse the Eucharistic symbol by reducing it to one's private 'feeling' of communion with Christ and His Church while objectively not being in such union is gravely disordered."

And here's the section that has pro-abortion "Catholic" politicians in a panic...

"As voters, Catholics are under an obligation to avoid implicating themselves in abortion, which is one of the gravest of injustices. Certainly, there are other injustices, which must be addressed, but the unjust killing of the innocent is foremost among them."

I don't think anyone could have said it better! 

I've always been impressed by Archbishop Myers' strong leadership, and this pastoral letter makes me grateful for his clear voice of reason in our Church. I encourage you to read the rest of the letter for yourself. You can find it here: http://www.rcan.org/archbish/jjm_letters/ATimeforHonesty.htm. 

As you can tell, we at CRISIS are big fans of the Archbishop. In fact, he has an article in our current issue on the war between our Church and our culture. If you haven't read it yet, you'll definitely want to take a look. 

But Archbishop Myers isn't the only prelate who has recently defended Church teaching on this point. Just last Sunday, Bishop Samuel J. Aquila of Fargo, North Dakota gave a stirring homily on these same issues. Again, it's best just to let him do the talking:

"The Council Fathers [of Vatican II] went on to teach, 'Therefore, let there be no false opposition between professional and social activities on the one part, and religious life on the other. The Christian who neglects his temporal duties, neglects his duties towards his neighbor and even God, and jeopardizes his eternal salvation' (Gaudium et Spes, 43). My sisters and brothers, 'pro-choice' Catholics, 'Catholics for a free choice,' must listen to those words, for they are the truth rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has taught us that we are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We are to proclaim His Gospel, the Gospel of Life, to the world."

"As Jesus Christ posed the question to Peter, so, too, does He pose the question to each one of us, 'Do you love Me?' If we respond with yes, then we must live that out no matter what the cost. We cannot separate our professional life from our faith life. We must always put the law of God above the law of man, especially as it concerns the dignity of the human person and the life of the unborn."

Even Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, who has been criticized lately, just wrote a letter to journalist Robert Novak, encouraging him to clarify the Cardinal's words in a recent Catholic News Service interview. The quote in that interview, which received a lot of publicity, made it sound as if the Cardinal thought the pro-life issue was merely one of many issues that Catholics should be worried about. 

But in his letter to Novak, he clarifies his position, saying, "The defense of human life, especially the life of the unborn child, comes first because 'without life you cannot have any other human values.' This position in favor of life and of the obligation to defend it is essential according to the constant teaching of the Church, and has always been my own constant teaching." He went on to explain that while we can't neglect other important social justice issues, human life "is the first principle on which all other rights depend."

I'm glad the Cardinal took the chance to clarify his position. 

I hope this e-letter picked up your spirits a bit. It's nice to have some good news now and again. 

One final thing: I'm going to send you a very important e-letter early next week. It'll address an issue in the Catholic world that has been at the root of a fiery debate recently. You may already know what I'm talking about...

But if not, I'll explain fully next week. (I love cliffhangers.)

Until then,

Deal



Like a deer that longs for running waters so my soul longs for you, O God.

Ps 42:1
 
 



		
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