Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 3—The Georgia Bulletin, April 13,1972
Does It Make Sense To
Believe In Miracles Today?
(EDITOR ’S NOTE: To dialogue means for persons with unlike views to sit down together and calmly talk out
their positions. Opposing viewpoints left mutually isolated long enough can bring polarization, or frozen
attitudes - and that applies in the Church as elsewhere. Trying to help draw all sides together, NC News is
running a series of “dialogues in print” about issues under debate in the Church today. Donald J. Thorman is
publisher of the National Catholic Reporter, known for its progressive outlook. Christopher Derrick, writer and
critic, is a noted British conservative Catholic. Readers are encouraged to express their own opinions on dialogue
issues in this newspaper’s letters column. The Derrick-Thorman dialogue will continue in next week's BULLETIN.)
STATE SCIENCE FAIR TOP WINNERS
Terry van House and Marty Bisset of St. Joseph High School inform their Principal, Ray Kerwin,
about the awards they received at the 24th Annual Georgia State Science Fair held at Athens on
April 8. Both girls merited first place awards in their divisions, Terry in the Botany and Marty in
the Natural Resources Divisions. A special plaque award was given to Marty from the Forestry
Club XI Sigma PI for Environmental Conservation.
Dear Editor:
In reference to the article
which appeared in the March
30, 1972, issue of the
GEORGIA BULLETIN
concerning the meeting of 35
Bishops in Conyers, I would
like to respond concerning
the interpretation of some of
the remarks which I made at
that meeting.
S pecifically, the article
states that I was opposed to
Revenue Sharing. My remarks
however indicated that I was
concerned that Revenue
Sharing have certain
earmarking which would
guarantee that monies would
be spent in the social area, as
well as for physical
improvements. I alluded to
the fact that historically such
block grant money has been
mostly spent on physical
improvements with little or
no impact on the social areas.
In addition, I pointed out
that should block grants be
authorized without such
earmarking, we might end up
with categorical programs for
human services being required
later, thus creating an
additional tax burden by not
being able to withdraw the
commitment to the block
grants. Therefore, an
appropriate interpretation
would be that I would be
opposed to Revenue Sharing
without some guarantee that
the human services need
_would be met.
Secondly, I was quoted as
saying that Area Planning and
Development was a failure.
Although in general I would
probably concur with this
interpretation with some
exceptions, the thrust of my
remarks was that Area
Planning needed to be
broadened both in terms of
geographic area and in terms
of the spectrum of concerns
presently covered by such
planning. I was suggesting
that, for example, in a state
like Georgia, a limited
number of such planning
areas be set up which would
be designed to meet all of the
needs of the people in that
area. With this kind of
system, one could plan for
items like hospitals, roads,
junior colleges, economic
development and human
services on a broad integrated
basis so as to provide the
broad services required in
rural areas. This would help
to stem some of the
immigration to cities and the
problems attendant to that
trend.
I appreciate the
opportunity to expand on the
interpretation of my remarks
at the Social Development
Conference. My
congratulations to you on the
very fine job you are doing as
editor of the GEORGIA
BULLETIN.
GLINT RODGERS
DIRECTOR
GEORGIA OFFICE OF
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ATLANTA, GA.
Wedding Invitations
And Announcements
i Day Delivery Service
“Select them in your home”
MacNabb’s
261-9626
Dear Sirs:
Jesus and Mao pictured;
side by side? Really!!!
BETTE GORMAN
DECATUR, GA.
Dear Father:
Are Meinrads & Roland
Park the only seminaries in
the U.S.?
FRANK MCBREARITY
CHERRY HILL, N.J.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The
November 25 issue of the
BULLETIN carried a picture of
our seminarians at Catholic
University on the front page.)
Sir:
Many years ago I
discontinued my subscription
to the GEORGIA BULLETIN
when it stopped being a
Catholic newspaper. Please be
assured that I resent your
forwarding me said paper,
and I resent my parish, Holy
Cross, being billed for
Anti-American propaganda.
Just as I won’t allow
pornography in my home -
so be it with the BULLETIN.
Not very truly yours,
MRS. PAUL FEORINO
ATLANTA, GA.
St. Jude’s
Lauds
Paper
The Parish Council of St.
Jude’s Church has passed a
resolution commending the
new and improved
appearance of the GEORGIA
BULLETIN under the
editorship of Fr. James
Maciejewski. The vote was
unanimous.
Editor:
I agree with two letter
writers in the April 6, 1972
GEORGIA BULLETIN. I do
not want your paper; I do not
intend to pay for it; I do not
like to see my parish dunned
for it. It is indeed unsolicited
material you are sending into
our homes. It is not so liberal
as your conservative readers
complain - not with the likes
of Joseph A. Breig on the
editoral page. I’ll continue to
look over your pages if you
insist on swelling your
circulation figures by
coercion.
PAT STEWART
AUSTELL, GA.
By
Christopher Derrick
Intellectually speaking, it
always makes sense to believe
in miracles, when the
evidence is strong enough. If
any man says “Modern
science proves that miracles
are impossible,” he’s falling
into a mere confusion of
thought. As Chesterton once
said, this is like saying “I’ve
studied the constitution of
the United States so deeply
that I know there could never
be a revolution in America.”
Miracles can happen.
Beyond that point, one can
say several things with
confidence. Historically
speaking, certain MIRACLES
HAVE happened, are
recorded in the New
Testament and are part of our
Faith: notably, the Virgin
Birth and the Resurrection.
And it seems certain that
further miracles have
happened since then, in the
context of Catholicism and
possibly elsewhere: for
example, the miracles that are
brought forward and deeply
scrutinized in the court of
every canonization. The
presumption is that miracles
still continue.
But towards every
particular instance now
alleged, our first attitude
should usually be one of
respectful scepticism.
Miracles can happen, but
people can be wrong when
they say that a miracle HAS
happened. For one thing,
remarkable occurrences can
often be illusory in nature,
the fruit (perhaps) or
hysteria; and then,
unexplained occurrences -
apparent t miracles - can be
real enough but can turn out
later to have natural
(non-miraculous) causes.
And so, when some new
story comes to our ears,
glorious but “impossible,”
our first response should be
“This MAY be a miracle -
I’m not ruling that out. But I
shall take an awful lot of
convincing.” This convincing
might come from scientific
evidence, or it might come
from the Church; but in the
latter case, while a strong
probability can be
established, the certainty of
faith is not available. Nothing
that is claimed to have
happened at, say, Lourdes or
Fatima has the certainty of
dogma, and one should retain
a marginal scepticism in such
matters. (As a traditionally
minded Catholic, I have been
deeply embarrassed recently
by certain good people for
whom Fatima is - in practice
- the burning heart of all true
religion. Their devotion needs
to be respected and can
properly be shared, but it can
blur a distinction that
desperately needs to be
maintained. The Catholic
Faith is not the same thing as
even the most august and
probable of pious opinions.)
It would be bad for us,
and for the Church’s image, if
we were to be - or even to
appear - credulous and avid
for marvels. God nearly
always works through
secondary causes, and Christ
rebuked those who hungered
for a sign.
But there is a converse
danger. A too-facile belief in
new miracles can be
superstitious and can distract
us from immediate problems
and duties. On the other
hand, it does imply a strong
supernatural ism, an awareness
of the vertical, a powerful
belief in the presence and
power of God. And this in
itself is a most necessary
thing, especially at this time
when weakened faith impels
so many people towards a
Christianity conceived in
merely humanistic and
horizontal terms.
It is hard to maintain a
precise balance, though we
need to try, and if we are to
err at all, a MODERATE
error in the direction of
superstitution or credulity
might well be the lesser evil.
Consider two people. One
lives passionately for Our
Lady of Fatima, builds his
faith around that reported
happening, and is
romantically credulous about
some new cure reported (say)
from Lourdes. The other
dislikes and discounts and
minimizes any talk of God’s
intervention in this world,
speaks chiefly of celebrated
togetherness, and is
embarrassed by all pious talk
of Christ’s mother. The
attitudes of each can be
criticized. But of the two, the
second is (I suggest) much
further from the mind of
Christ and the way of
salvation.
Response
By Donald J. Thorman
In Mr. Derrick’s closing
comments he sets up one
straw man and one easily
discernible type in American
Catholic society.
In my experience I have
met many people who live
and die in relationship to
Lourdes or Fatima. And I
shall be the last £o condemn
them, for there is much to be
said for both events and for a
proper understanding of their
ultimate meanings.
I have also stressed with
those who are childishly
embarrassed by any
integration of appreciation of
Mary in their devotional lives.
I have rarely met those who
combine this with disliking
talk of God’s intervention in
the world (they usually speak
instead of the Mystical Body)
or who speak chiefly of
“celebrated togetherness.” I
have met some who have each
of these characteristics, but
usually not in the
combination suggested by Mr.
Derrick.
Yet, let us accept his
experience as reality. Even
then, who is to say one error
is better than another, the
lesser of two evils as it were.
To what scriptures can we
point to verify our view, on
either side of the issue? I
know of no way to judge one
error against the other.
With love and charity for
all extremists, I see the best
role for any Christian to be
one of tolerance and
moderation. Extremes
invariably lead to some kind
of deviation. I don’t know for
certain which extreme Christ
would prefer - I suspect
neither would appeal to him.
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