| December 29, 2008 | Volume 84, Number 5 | |
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Divisions in Church sadden this readerI have been disappointed and saddened to read all of the politically charged letters lately. There is so much division between the pro-life, conservative readers and the more social justice, liberal ones. I would like to suggest that as The Body of Christ, the members of our faith do so much for all, to protect the sanctity and dignity of human life, and if we were all just focused on one aspect of our Church’s outreach, we as a church would not accomplish nearly as much. The Catholic Church contributes so much to the greater good, one person at a time. We need to care for embryos, infants and the elderly just as much as we need to care for the homeless, refugees, and prisoners. We should respect one another and the good that is being done for so many. Jesus wants us to treat the least among us as we would treat him, and unfortunately these days we have all too many opportunities to encounter the poor, the hurting, and the endangered. As a church, we find many ways to reach out to so many people who are struggling, and to try to protect all the living, whether it is by fighting against abortion, embryonic stem cell research or the death penalty, or by caring for the Earth. I also hope that we will pray for politicians who represent the best interests of all of us. Imagine if we had elected officials who supported all of the causes that we have been dividing ourselves over! Imagine what could happen if instead of being divided by secular political classifications, we devoted ourselves to praying for leaders who represent the best of both sides and who take their faith seriously instead of just courting the “Catholic Vote.” Please, let us keep working for the greater good of mankind on all fronts. Divided, we cannot accomplish as much as we can united, loving our Lord and respecting each other! Julie Mullins
Culture of death said occurring hereLetters sent to The Catholic Virginian by Catholics said to be “pro-life” but support the election of pro-abortion candidates continue to amaze me. That is akin to saying, “I’m personally opposed to bank robbing but when given the choice of electing a person that thinks bank robbing should be legal in the United States I will vote for them.” Not to equate robbing the bank with the utter barbarity of abortion, but you get the drift. Once we have a culture of government-sanctioned robbery occurring, in this case bank robbery, then the whole fabric of society changes. So then robbing the neighborhood candy store or taking money out of Grandma’s purse doesn’t seem so bad. You see, gradually, a culture of robbery has been created. Do you see the culture of death, as fueled by abortion, creeping into our society?
A man is hit by a car on a Connecticut street and people just drive and walk by without rendering any help whatsoever. When the killing of the unborn innocent has been the law of the land for over 30 years, then we have in our midst a generation raised knowing nothing but this culture of death. This recent election was a referendum on the economy, so the polls have determined. I wouldn’t want to stand before Christ on judgment day and have Him know that in my heart of hearts I was more concerned with my 401K than with His precious unborn innocents. Christ though in His incomprehensible mercy will continue to try and redeem us again and again. How many lost souls such as myself will be brought to their knees by the current economic meltdown? Len Persin About Us | Archives | Around | Articles | Columns | Contact Us | Editorial | Hispanic Apostolate | Home | Opportunities | Parish Profile | Shortakes | The Catholic Diocese of RichmondCopyright © 2008 The Catholic Virginian Press. Articles from Catholic News Services, including Fr. Dietzen’s column, may not be reproduced due to copyright considerations.The Catholic Virginian is a biweekly publication serving the people of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. This website includes some, but not all, of the articles from the print version of The Catholic Virginian.For subscription information Contact Us. |
A Wal-Mart worker is trampled to death by a mob eager to grab a bargain. More and more of the mob continue to run over him as if insensitive to his plight.