Tired of the Lectures

Dear Editor: Despite using an icon of crisscrossing arrows on your Viewpoints page, we rarely get much divergence in the two columns. In the case of the Feb. 24 columns, we had two misinformed writers whose real agenda seems to demonstrate another boring exercise in attempting to prove moral superiority to President Bush.

Stephen Kent believes a step toward reconciliation between warring factions in Iraq could have been achieved by exercising “mercy” toward one of history’s mass murderers and equates a recent troop increase with “an escalation of violence.” There is no rational reason for believing either. The effect of the troop surge has been very positive in the reduction of violence and a disarming of the terrorists.
It is somewhat annoying being lectured by Tom Sheridan who starts off dismissing the understanding of any Catholic who might disagree. He wrongly insists that Church teaching on capital punishment “has shifted” and continues to shift, and that a harsh prison “punishment” would be more Christian. Neither assumption is well-founded. Principled Catholic teaching has never changed on any matter, nor could it. Church teaching is based on principles inherent to our God-given human condition which never changes.

Some Catholics have confused changes that have occurred in liturgical practice as “a change in teaching.” But liturgical practices are based on the changeless principles of humility before God, a humility in understanding our place in the communion of saints (which would necessitate a respectful appreciation for the practices of those who preceded us), a recognition of our need for salvation, and a participation in the sacramental life that makes salvation possible. Worship of God does occur in a cultural setting and there are some practices that can be cautiously altered over time. Understanding of doctrines can also be expanded in new ways over time, but their essential principles never change.

There is no latitude at all with moral truth, which never changes. Right and wrong remain the same no matter when, no matter where. Capital punishment has always been recognized by the Church as a legitimate means for a society to protect itself against those who kill the innocent, never as an act of revenge. Its limited use is contingent on its proportionate effectiveness as a deterrent and by the necessities created from a lack of law enforcement capacity. In an extremely cynical and vulgar society, such as our own where criminals are more nihilistic than ever, one can very legitimately argue that the deterrent potential doesn’t exist. But capital punishment in itself is not, never has been, and never will be an intrinsic evil. Catholics who say otherwise are not being honest to themselves or their Church.

Humility would lead us to recognize that ultimate punishment comes from God, not us. We can never accidentally or intentionally circumvent God providing all the opportunity necessary for any soul to be saved – at least to the point that his mercy can afford them a place in purgatory – even if we wanted to. It is a presumption madly insulting to God to assume that we could deprive anyone of an opportunity for personal repentance with a death sentence. God’s truth manifested through his Church does not have to be redesigned to suit our preferred image of how things should be. Truth is not social pragmatism. It is an uncompromising gift from God, a terrible mercy filled with painful losses, anger and unrelenting regret, but in the end, a share in the glory and love of God.

Albert Sheleng
Bayside.

Father Daly Remembered

Dear Editor: I would just like to pass along my thoughts and prayers to the family of Father Joseph Daly, who recently passed away. When I think of my days at St. Margaret’s parish in Middle Village, he is foremost in my thoughts; definitely one of my all-time favorite priests to spend Mass with. I will always remember him as a gentleman who always greeted me as “Murph.” It was an honor to know and worship with him.

Kevin Murphy
Warwick, NY

Stop Supporting Illegals 

Dear Editor: I am tired of hearing about the illegal adventures of illegal immigrants. They should be aware of a few things.

A) The very country that they chose to enter has laws.
B) They have a choice as to whether or not to break the law.
C) Breaking the law, even if you think it is for the greater good comes with a price when you get caught.
D) Breaking the law is a bad thing to do because if you get caught and get deported, everyone gets hurt.

The moral of the story is not to break the law. If you cannot afford to come to the United States now, then wait and trust that God will help you change your circumstances so that one day you can. Or perhaps the laws will change. That is where real trust in God comes in.

Please stop running these stories about people who are now crying because they must pay a price for breaking a law. Now is the time to stop making excuses about harsh laws and high prices. Perhaps it is time for a lesson in taking responsibility for one’s choices, and add to that there are consequences for every choice we make in life.

NAME WITHHELD
Woodside

Choices and Responsibilities

Dear Editor: On the Sunday morning broadcast (March 18) of the McLaughlin Group, one of the topics was the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy of the military for homosexuals. The discussion was closed with a comment by Eleanor Clift of Newsweek, a regular panelist on the show. She said that our societal attitude toward homosexuality was a “generational issue” and the future will take care if it.

If what Ms. Clift said is true, then we don’t think very highly of ourselves as a society. We simply see the lives that we live as rocks rolling down the side of a hill, on an indiscriminate path of destruction. I would hope that we really don’t see ourselves this way.

As Christians and Catholics, we know better. We know that we were each made in the image and likeness of God. We are given free choice as His gift and we all make moral choices every single day. Our imperfect human nature causes us to lean toward sins of many different kinds.

But we know that we are also given many other gifts from God, particularly the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that call us to a higher level. God gives us every opportunity to lift ourselves up to answer that call. It’s God who instills dignity within each one of us. We can take the easy way out of many situations, but God is calling us to something greater that will lead us to a higher, more difficult road. That road is not one of destruction but one of peace, love and understanding.
Ultimately, if we accept the responsibility for our actions and discharge them well, we will not be on a path to destruction but on the way to the holiness for which we were created.

Deacon Peter Stamm
Glendale

The Contraceptive Mentality

Dear Editor: Irony is usually associated with surprise, pleasant or unpleasant. Recently, a major brouhaha erupted when Sean Hannity, conservative radio talk-show host (proclaiming his Catholicism), verbally and viciously attacked Father Thomas Euteneur, president of “Human Life International,” a guest on Hannity’s show. 

Father pointed out that it was sinful for Hannity to publicly advocate contraception, while identifying himself as a Catholic. Battle lines were drawn between some pro-life Catholics, who think Hannity is always right, and other pro-lifers like us who obey the Church.

Coincidentally, an article had appeared in the Feb. 7 edition of “Global Family Life News” (Population Research Institute) entitled “Dividing and Demonizing Pro-lifers” (by J. A. D’Agostino) and describing the new anti-life Democratic strategy.  Because of some pro-life victories by the Democrats in the last election, but still determined to keep abortion legal and flourishing, emphasis would now be on federally-funded contraception (supposedly to prevent abortions). 

However, it is a well-known and established fact, that when contraceptives became widely available in the 1970s, abortion skyrocketed. Distributing free condoms to teenagers in the 80s and 90s, didn’t lower the abortion rate. Widespread contraception meant widespread abortion.

The “contraceptive mentality” relegates sex to a recreational sport, and encourages risky promiscuous behavior.  The failure rate of condoms promotes abortion as the solution to unplanned pregnancies.  The best line of defense against the “contraceptive mentality” has been crisis pregnancy centers. 
However, since they promote abstinence, and have revealed the connection between breast cancer and abortion, Democrats, like Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), are not pleased. So their strategy is to promote federally-funded contraception, including the abortifacient, morning after pill (MAP). Sen. Hillary Clinton is firmly aboard the “contraceptive bandwagon,” as is Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, and Sen. Ted Kennedy.   

And now to everyone’s surprise, especially ours, Sean Hannity, their self-proclaimed arch-enemy, has joined their ranks.

Irony has reached new heights, and as longtime Hannity fans, we can only hope that Hannity sees the error of his ways.

Edwina and Gene Cosgriff
Staten Island