Noxious Experiences of Human Perfidy
On page 14 of the May 1993 issue, you state in summation of a discussion of the sacrifice of the Mass that “the Mass is not a new sacrifice but is a re-presentation of the same sacrifice as on Calvary.” You’ve come so very close to stating what seems both obvious and simple.
The Mass is not a new or different sacrifice; it is the actual sacrifice of Calvary offered here and now by the power of Jesus Christ. Put simply, Jesus Christ dying on the Cross not only offered his sacrifice at one moment in time, some nineteen hundred years ago, but as he hung on the cross he expanded that offering to every time and place where, at his direction and commission, the Mass would ever be offered. As Paul so eloquently expressed it in Hebrews, our high priest and his offering are superior in every way to the high priests of the Law.
We Catholics are obliged to accept and live up to the Church’s teachings. While every teaching of the Church can be “fine tuned” to enhance a newly perceived significance or to add clarity, no teaching affirmed with the full weight and assurance of the Church can ever be repudiated or denied.
I believe it needs to be stressed that we Catholics must care enough to verify that we are receiving and accepting “real” teachings of the Catholic Church. I am sorry to state that I have attended “Catholic” programs presented by both priests and religious in which the truths of the faith were denied and attacked, though the program was supposed to be developing our faith understanding.
Incidentally, I continue to be a Catholic despite such noxious experiences of human perfidy for a fundamentally theological reason. The reason could be expressed in the words of John 6:68: “Master, to whom shall we go?” Those who leave the Catholic Church (or discard its teaching and laws while retaining the empty shell of the name Catholic) over various theological issues clearly lack an understanding of this basic theological point.
James J. Harris
San Diego, California
A Fateful Poll
In response to the recent release of a Gallup poll on the attitude of Catholics in America I offer several comments. First, I am not certain this poll accurately reflects the rank and file of practicing Catholics. Although I am willing to concede that there seems to be a great deal of chaff being offered as catechismal wheat, leaving many with an inadequate understanding of their Roman Catholic faith, I attribute much of this adulteration of orthodox faith to radical rebels who call themselves “reformists” and who have infiltrated many institutions of religious formation and education. May God have mercy on the worst of these extremists, who are soul molesters.
These radicals hold various heresies as truth, including: (1) the Jesus of history is not the Jesus of the Gospels; (2) the virgin birth of Christ is an allegory; (3) Christ’s bodily resurrection was merely a psychological experience of his followers; (4) Christ established no moral authority to be exercised by those he directly commissioned or by their successors.
I believe that the assent of the faithful is a vital sign of Christian truth. Sadly, it requires pointing out that the faithful are just that–faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Roman Catholics do not blindly trust the pope or the bishops, but rather Jesus Christ working through them. He who commissions them has promised to be with them until the end of time.
Popular opinion does not govern the dogmas and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christianity has, however, been impacted by popular opinion in every age. In one of the most significant moments in history a poll was taken and the results were unanimously released by an angry crowd: “Crucify him, crucify him!”
Henry Williamson
Chesterfield, Missouri
(Fountain) Valley Girl
Hello! I don’t know if you remember me, but I once wrote in a letter that “being an apologist is by far the coolest job of the 90’s!” (Don’t you agree?) Well, Catholic Answers did an awesome job at World Youth Day! I have been listening to Catholic Answers tapes for a year now. Thanx 2 you, I will never leave the Catholic Church. (I’m a convert.)
I have been so inspired by your books and tapes that I convinced a teenage Baptist and a Protestant (I know, what’s the difference?) that the Catholic Church is the true Church. My friends and I are starting a teen apologetics group at our local parish. If you know any teenagers living in Orange County who would be interested, please have them write to me. You have changed the lives of many people and played an important role in my conversion. I know you will continue to change the lives of many people.
Anyways, sorry for taking up so much of your time. I’ve enclosed a check for $35. Do whatever you want with it, please! Publish more tracts, take your families out to a movie, hang out at the beach! But please keep up your excellent work! God bless you!
Janice T.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Book Nook Shook
You must be aware that the eruptions of Mt. Pinatubo wrought much havoc on the lives of the people of central Luzon, particularly in Zambales, Philippines. Among the damaged building was St. Augustine’s Minor Seminary in Iba, Zambales. Part of its roofing, especially the part above the study hall, was destroyed by the heavy ashfall, thereby damaging most of our books. Since the devastation due to massive lava flows continues to depress the economy in our area, the locality and the diocese in particular are in no position to assist us financially.
Our seminarians are in dire need of books. We appeal to you to please donate to us books that you can spare and which you think are suited for the development of seminarians, especially in the following fields: religion, arts and literature, psychology, music, English, math, and sciences.
Kindly address your donations to the undersigned. Thank you, and may God bless you for caring.
Rev. Fr. Simplicio C. Esteban, V.G. Rector
St. Augustine’s Minor Seminary
Iba, Zambales, Philippines 2201
Surprise, Surprise
In your Quick Questions section [May 1993] you dealt with the question about Thomas Aquinas’ opinion that an abortion isn’t an abortion if performed before the fetus received a soul. One point that I think would have helped is to point out that Aquinas was using “soul” in the biological sense–as the life force, anima in Latin and psyche in Greek, by which all animals live.
When people hear about a fetus “receiving a soul,” they think that Aquinas felt that there was a point at which the fetus was alive but not human. He didn’t believe that, but rather that human “seed,” like plant seed, spent some time absorbing moisture before “quickening” or coming to life. An abortion carried out before “quickening” was therefore morally equivalent to contraception, which was sinful but not murder.
One problem with the English language is that we don’t appreciate the fact that “soul” and “spirit” (spiritus in Latin and pneuma in Greek) both refer to the breath which keeps us alive, with the “spirit” being the higher faculty. Anyway, the point is that Aquinas was giving his opinion on when the baby comes to life, not when it becomes human.
In regard to the letter writer who maintained that in the case of Archbishop Lefebvre “there are eminent canonists . . . who would agree that no excommunication has occurred,” another canonist wrote: “The unlawful episcopal ordination conferred . . . by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre . . . was one of disobedience to the Roman Pontiff in a very grave matter and of supreme importance for the unity of the Church. . . . Hence such disobedience–which implies in practice the rejection of the Roman primacy–consitutes a schismatic act. . . . Msgr. Lefebvre and the priests Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, and Alfonso de Galarreta, have incurred the grave penalty of excommunication envisaged by ecclesiastical law.
“The root of this schismatic act can be discerned in an incomplete and contradictory notion of Tradition–incomplete because it does not take sufficiently into account the living character of Tradition, which, as the Second Vatican Council clearly taught, ‘comes from the apostles and progresses in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit. . . .’
“But especially contradictory is a notion of Tradition which opposes the universal magisterium of the Church possessed by the Bishop of Rome and the body of bishops. It is impossible to remain faithful to the Tradition while breaking with the ecclesial bond with him whom, in the person of the apostle Peter, Christ himself entrusted the ministry of unity in his Church.”
That was Pope John Paul II, writing in Ecclesia Dei.
Don Schenk
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Looking for You?
It is recounted that the great Anthony of Egypt wondered to himself one day if anyone else had served God in the desert for as long and as faithfully as he had. The Lord soon deflated this temptation to pride by leading him to Paul, the first hermit.
A similar vain thought crossed my mind the other day when I reflected that the word “evangelization” is much used today, but I wondered how many Catholics are actually doing it and, specifically, the form of evangelization which my community has been doing for nearly thirty years.
All ego considerations aside (and the work itself is guaranteed to keep one humble!), two reasons prompt me to write this letter. The first is that our Society has a separate lay branch for which we train full-time resident and part-time members. Readers of This Rock could quite likely be among those looking for this type of faith-involvement if they don’t feel quite up to the public work of either Catholic Answers or the Catholic Evidence Guild.
The second reason is that we would be genuinely interested to hear from other persons or organizations who are doing the same work as ourselves, to our mutual profit and support.
Today there are many forms of evangelization, and all are a necessary part of the whole mission of the Church. The form which my community has stayed with all these years is a systematic, street-by-street, house-by-house visitation of any given parish–not for census purposes, nor even to present Christ alone, but to present Christ through his Church; Christ and his Church are inseparable. This person-to-person dialogue, though difficult, has many advantages. In days gone by we gave instructions and led interested persons to baptism, but these days we at a suitable point pass them on to the R.C.I.A. programs.
The areas in which we work are as diverse as large inner cities and small rural towns, though our preference is for the poor and disadvantaged. This work calls for much ecumenical sensitivity, a great deal of patient follow-up, a readiness for disappointment, and solid, dry perserverence. It must be undergirded by strong faith, a good grounding in orthodox Church teaching and history (which we give), in apologetics, and above all by prayer and gratitude to God for the riches of life and salvation he has given us in Christ through his Church. The religious branches of our Society (one for men, one for women) are primarily contemplative, with much time for personal prayer and liturgy, but our active apostolic work, though limited in time, must be taken with serious, dedicated zeal.
Anyone interested in an exchange on this form of evangelization could write to me.
Sister Mary Emmanuel
Society of Our Mother of Peace
P.O. Box 322
High Ridge, MO 63049