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L e t t e r s
December to Remember
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This Rock
Volume 17, Number 2
 February 2006 
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Thanks for many years of this great magazine, which I share with friends and family. The December 2005 issue, and especially Mark Shea’s article on "Why Philosophy Matters," was extraordinary. Funny how the simple concepts of primary and secondary causes provides insights into evolution and the role of Mary in salvation history. This led into Joan Summers’s conversion story and how she finally realized that the Church existed before the Bible did. Which of course reinforced Shea’s point that God is the primary cause of the Bible but man was the secondary cause—using the example of Paul’s epistle to the Romans. And finally, the book reviews, which covered anti-Catholic and Reformation thinking and concluding with a great review of An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Catholicism by Alban McCoy. Keep spreading the truth!
Steve Rudolph
Metamora, Illinois
It's about Sacrifice
In "The Unfinished Business of Vatican II" (December 2005), Marcellino D’Ambrosio states that "the Council had no intention of encouraging a lack of reverence or a lessening of the sense of awe and amazement." Yet the reformers have done just that by emphasizing the community aspect of the Mass and de-emphasizing the sacrificial aspect. The explanation of the Mass in our daily missal does not even mention sacrifice. If the Mass is not a sacrifice, it is merely a prayer meeting with a Communion service.
Christ instituted the Mass to make his redeeming sacrifice ever present until the end of time. The prophecy of Malachi is fulfilled by celebration of this same sacrifice all over the world, every moment of every day.
We "actively participate" in the Mass by praying the prayers of the Mass with the priest and by offering, with the priest, the incomparable gift of Christ’s sacrifice to the Father. That is awesome!
Mildred Shumard
Sarasota, Florida
Gotcha!
In the December 2005 issue of This Rock there is a small error on the article on Vatican II by Marcellino D’Ambrosio: "In the new lectionary, we have an Old Testament reading every Sunday mass." Actually, during Easter time the first readings are from the Acts of the Apostles, and the second readings are from one of the other books of the New Testament.
Evelyn L. Baca
Alburquerque, New Mexico
Why Evangelize?
Fr. Ray Ryland’s article "No Salvation Outside the Church" (December 2005) raised questions in my mind. He made the point that the Catholic Church consists of believers and all those ignorant of Christ who "seek truth." But Holy Scripture says that no man is "good," no one seeks truth, and all have turned to their own way (Psalm 53:2–3; Is. 53:6). Ryland also makes the point that when Christ says he has "other sheep that are not of this fold" (John 10:16), he is referring not only to future believers but also to those who will never hear the gospel. If this is the case, why would the Catholic Church be concerned with missionary activities? After all, if unbelievers who "seek truth" can be saved, why jeopardize their chances of salvation by presenting the gospel, which they could reject, thereby risking their salvation?
Frank Marron
Las Vegas, Nevada
Fr. Ray Ryland replies:
Thank you for your question. Responding to it enables me to make further distinctions that perhaps should have been in the article itself.
The quotations from Psalm 53 and Isaiah 53, in my opinion, are somewhat hyperbolic, intended as such to make a strong point. Sin is indeed universal, which means all of us repeatedly—but not always—turn to our own ways. Though the human race has not sought truth as assiduously as it should, great numbers of people have indeed sought the truth as best they could in their circumstances.
Vatican II and recent pontiffs have taught that the Church by its very nature is inherently missionary-oriented. The primary reason is because our Lord categorically commanded it (cf. Matt. 28:20).
Unbelievers who truly seek the truth need and have a right to hear the gospel for several reasons. The gospel properly proclaimed to them can put the truth they have received in proper context and point that truth toward Christ, who is the fullness of truth. Another reason is that proclaiming the gospel can enable the "unbelievers" to sift the truth they have received from the error they have unwittingly embraced along with the truth. Moreover, hearing the gospel puts them on notice that as human beings they must do the best they can to order their lives in accord with the will of their Creator.
Is Springtime Coming?
After reading your December "Frontispiece" and the January letter from Rebecca Ritorno, my husband and I struck up a lengthy conversation about the future of Western civilization.
I tended to agree with you about its demise, but it made me think: How does the fall of Western civilization, whenever it occurs, fit in with John Paul II’s "springtime of evangelization"?
I know that Western civilization as a whole is a different body from the Church, and saying that this civilization will implode is not the same thing as saying the Church will cease to be. But if we are experiencing this new springtime in the Church, won’t it affect our society for the better? Why would the Pope call it a "springtime of evangelization" if the situation is so bleak, as you say?
Mary Ann Wenske
via the Internet
Rite Move
Thank you, Carl Olson, for the article on the Eastern rites of the Catholic Church ("The Rite Not to Be Roman," January 2006). Unfortunately, many Latin-rite Catholics seem to believe that Peter traveled immediately to Rome and wrote the Latin Mass. Not so. The Eastern rites are older.
I was in Fatima thirty-four years ago and attended a Byzantine liturgy in the Blue Army chapel there. Even though the temperature that May was cold, I kept telling myself that if an elderly nun in front of me could stand it, I could too. I witnessed something beautiful going on. Upon return home I found a Byzantine-rite church nearby, and the largely ethnic founders welcomed this native New England Yankee into their midst. My family and I are now Byzantine-Melkite Catholics.
Whereas many Roman-rite churches have had to close for parishioner and clergy shortage, our little church has now grown large enough to need a larger church. On Christmas Eve we held our first liturgy in a Roman-rite church that we bought after it closed.
Russell S. Pond
Nashua, New Hampshire
Knocked His Socks Off
Whoa! Wow! Awesome! Just when I thought This Rock couldn’t possibly get any better, you guys knocked my socks off with the new makeover. Keep up the good work, and rest assured that I’ll be renewing my subscription for many more years to come. God bless you all.
Raphael Nguyen
Olathe, Kansas
Misleading Title
The headline "Converting Islam" on the cover of the January 2006 issue seems a bit misleading. The article deals more with the common heresies and religious beliefs of the time, such as Judaism and, of course, Islam. But only one subsection ("Approach Muslims with Love") devotes most of its attention to Islam. The title on the article itself, "What We Can Learn from the Twelfth Century," more adequately describes the work.
My question would then be: Why choose to narrow the scope of the article, in dealing with truth and apologetical works of the twelfth century, by broadcasting only a small portion of the material contained within (namely that of Islam) rather than the broader issue of outreach to other faiths and the progress made thereof in the twelfth century?
David Okun
Atlanta, Georgia
Veiled Truth
Your December 2005 issue incorrectly states on page 41 that veiling the statues from the fifth Sunday of Lent is not permitted in the U.S. The practice of veiling crosses and statues during the last two weeks of Lent was approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in November 2001, was granted recognition by the Holy See, and has been in effect since April 2002. It reads: In the dioceses of the United States of America, crosses in the church may be covered from the conclusion of the Mass for Saturday of the fourth Week of Lent until the end of the celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday. Images in the church may be covered from the conclusion of the Mass for Saturday of the fourth Week of Lent until the beginning of the Easter Vigil (Roman Missal, rubrics for the fifth Sunday of Lent). This was originally proposed as an adaptation to section 318 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, but, as was noted at the time, this belongs in the rubrics for Holy Week in the Missal itself and thus it does not appear in the GIRM.
Editor replies:
According to the current rubrics, our answer is correct. It could be that the USCCB received approval of the revision but the current Roman Missal does not contain this instruction. Until a revised Roman Missal containing the instruction in question is promulgated, the revision is not effective.
Correction
"The Role of Deacons: Then and Now" (October 2004) incorrectly stated on page 16 that deacons cannot run for political office. While the Code of Canon Law does prohibit clerics from assuming "public offices that entail participation on civil power" (CIC 285), canon 288 makes an exception for permanent deacons, permitting them to hold such offices under most circumstances. Similarly, clerics generally are forbidden to hold office in political parties or labor unions, whether such offices are subject to public election or otherwise (CIC 287). But canon 287 allows ecclesiastical superiors to approve of such activity in particular cases where it might be necessary "to protect the rights of the Church or to promote the common good." Canon 288 again makes a specific exception regarding permanent deacons holding positions in political parties or labor unions.
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