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The Georgia Bulletin
January 7,1982
Divinely Founded Church
Not Subject To Poll
Several years ago, the Editor of
THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION
discontinued the column of a
syndicated columnist on political
matters because “there is some point
at which any Editor, if trying to be
responsible, has got to decide if it is
responsible to run a columnist who is
clearly irresponsible.” On Saturday,
December 26, the same Editor saw no
problem about running a column
criticizing the Catholic Church under
the caption: “Instant Hypocrisy
Comes On Sunday Mom.”
The general theme of the article
was that Pope John Paul was causing
hypocrisy on the part of American
Catholics by not changing the
teaching on pre-marital sex, the
permanence of marriage, and
contraceptive birth prevention; that
the Pope’s fidelity to what the Church
has consistently proclaimed as the
Law of God was contrary to “the
Sunday talk of love and the Lord.”
Surely the columnist has a right to
follow his own conscience. But if his
notion of a divinely founded Church,
teaching the Law of God, is one that
takes a poll to find out what is right
or wrong, then he should understand
that this is not, has not been, and will
not be, the Catholic Church. The
Church preaches by word and deed
the peace and the love of Christ. Why
should it be attacked for preaching
also, without fear or favor, the Law of
God, as it knows it from the
Scriptures and from its own divine
mandate? Centuries ago Saint Thomas
More gave his life rather than
compromise on the permanence of
marriage - even a King’s marriage.
Neither Christ nor the Church has ever
promised that following the way and
the Law of God would be easy, or
without pain, or in conformity with
the morals of a particular age. Much
less has it ever deceived its members
by promising that it would change, or
water-down, Divine teaching on faith
or morals on the basis of a vote by
those who found a particular teaching
difficult. One of the glories of the
Church has been its martyrs who shed
their blood and gave their lives in
witness to their faith.
The fallacy in the column in
question is the assumption by the
writer that numerous violations of a
law or precept are an indictment of
the lawmaker, or the one who
proclaims or enforces the law. Such an
attitude is about as sensible as saying
that our civil laws against violence,
robbery, rape, etc. should be changed
because they make hypocrites out of
people who violate them.
All believers hold that the plan for
the unfolding of our lives comes, not
from us, but from God’s W'ords to us.
The Old Testament gives us God’s Ten
Commandments and the history of
the lasting covenant God made with
His People, a covenant that includes
clear expectations to be met by the
people. The New Testament gives us
the life and teachings of Jesus
stirringly summed up in the
Beatitudes (Mt. 5: 1-12) where Jesus
promises us the dignity of God’s sons
and daughters as the fruit of lives lived
in His Spirit.
Several years ago, the Bishops of
the United States issued a pastoral
reflection on the Moral Life entitled
“To Live In Christ Jesus.” It speaks
clearly to points raised in the column,
notably the duty of the believer and
the Church’s role as teacher.
“God reveals to us in Jesus who we
are and how we are to live. Yet He has
made us free, able and obliged to
decide how we shall respond to our
calling. We must make concrete in the
particular circumstances of our lives
what the call to holiness and the
commandments of love require. This
is not easy. We know too that our
decisions may not be arbitrary for
‘good’ and ‘bad’, ‘right’ and ‘wrong’
are not simply whatever we choose to
make them. And so God gives us His
guidance in manifold forms. . . .
“Jesus established this Holy Church
by sending forth the Apostles as He
Himself had been sent by the Father.
He willed that their successors,
namely, the bishops, should be
shepherds in His Church even to the
consummation of the world. It is their
office and duty to express the
teaching of Christ on moral questions
and matters of belief. This special
teaching office within the Catholic
Church is a gift of the Lord Jesus for
the benefit of all His followers in their
efforts to know what He teaches,
value as He values, and live as free
responsible, loving and holy persons.
As Christ says ‘He who hears you,
hears Me.’ The authoritative moral
teachings of the Church enlighten
personal conscience and are to be
regarded as certain and binding norms
of morality.”
When Pope John Paul II met with
the American Bishops in Chicago two
years ago, he spoke to the main issue
troubling our columnist, namely,
marriage. He said;
“With the candor of the Gospels,
the compassion of pastors, and the
charity of Christ, you faced the
question of the indissolubility of
marriage, rightly stating: ‘The
covenant between a man and a woman
joined in Christian marriage is as
indissoluble and irrevocable as God’s
love for His People and Christ’s love
for His Church.’
“In exalting the beauty of
marriage,” he said, “you rightly spoke
against both the ideology of
contraception, and contraceptive acts.
... In portraying the sexual union
between husband and wife as a special
expression of this covenanted love
you rightly stated ‘sexual intercourse
is a moral and human good only
within marriage, outside marriage it is
wrong.’”
Then, knowing the inevitability of
objection to, and criticism of, this
teaching he added:
“Brothers in Christ, as we proclaim
the truth in all love it is not possible
to avoid all criticism; nor is it possible
to please everyone. But it is possible
to work for the real benefit of
everyone. And so we are humbly
convinced that God is with us in our
ministry of truth, and that He did not
give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit
of power and love and self-control.”
To live a life that is grounded on
spiritual values and discernment of
God’s Will is indeed a difficult task.
But it has never been easy, nor was it
claimed to be so. The true believer has
always been the one who hears Jesus’
words: “Narrow is the path that leads
to eternal life and few are they who
choose it;” and then reflects not so
much on how narrow is the path, but
rather on where it leads. To do
otherwise is to court cynicism and
discouragement, and to ignore the
help God offers so generously. Our
columnist seems to have focused more
on the path and its difficulties. It may
be that he has unintentionally done us
a service. We are destined by God’s
Will to work out our salvation in
today’s world and today’s culture.
This could be a reminder in these
opening days of 1982 to assess our
values, and examine our own focus. It
can make all the difference.
Archbishop of Atlanta
The Pope And Women:
More Compatible Than Portrayed
Dolores Curran
“So the Pope is going to get you women
back into the kitchen where you belong, eh?”
a friend smirked. “What are you going to say
about that?”
“I think it’s great,” I began, but before I
had a chance to tell him why, he left for
greener gossip, obviously disappointed at my
reaction.
He was referring to a publicized excerpt
from John Paul II’s recent encyclical, “On
Human Work,” that deals with a just family
wage. The Pope wrote that a just family wage
is essential to Christian social policy as a
support to family stability and stressed that
women should not be forced to leave the
home to work simply because of family
economic need.
He didn’t say women shouldn’t work
outside the home. In fact, he wrote that
women “ . . should be able to fulfill their
tasks in accordance with their own nature,
without being discriminated against, or
without being excluded from jobs for which
they are capable.”
These aren’t bad words for women. Instead
of telling women to be content with
housework and children, which he could have
done, he points up the option and that’s all
women want, really — the right not to have to
work outside the home if they prefer to stay
home or the right to work at a fair wage, not
the “fifty-nine cent dollar” or other unfair
wage differentials between women and men
around the globe.
I don’t think it’s fair that the editorialists
and secular headline writers so deliberately
misconstrue the Pope’s words to create
another feminist/papal controversy. A year or
so ago when John Paul II said a man should
not lust after his wife, the media gleefully
reported it as one more example of papal
interference in the bedroom.
Actually, the Pope reiterated a favorite
theme of feminists — that a woman shouldn’t
be viewed solely as a sex object by husbands
or other men in our society. Admittedly, his
choice of words was poor — doesn’t he have
advisors to prevent this kind of thing? — but
his meaning was gratifying. He was telling the
world’s husbands that their wives are more
than female bodies and that they should be
treated with love and respect, not as vessels
for relief of concupiscence.
I believe that the reporters deliberately
search papal words for grating phrases which,
like squabbling siblings or professional
gossips, they can headline to create a conflict
which they can then “cover.” According to a
recent Gallup poll, the Pope is the most
admired world figure among Americans.
Because of his popularity, little else can be
charged against him to create news, so a
constant harping on his words regarding
women rubs anew old wounds and gets the
controversy chafing again.
His words on women and family were a
very minor part of his encyclical, “On Human
Work.” They weren’t nearly as fundamental
or visionary as some of his thoughts on the
meaning of work and its effect on peoples
around the world, but who heard about
those? How many headline hunters and
editorial pinprickers wrote about
unionization, captialism, and other areas
covered in his encyclical? Precious few. Even
the Catholic press tended to print the
encyclical in tiny type and then do a
prominent story on the place of women and
work.
I don’t agree with all of the Pope’s words
and attitudes toward women but I believe he
deserves to be quoted and interpreted fairly.
And when he speaks out decisively and
courageously on behalf of women as he has on
these two occasions, he deserves our
commendation and thanks, not cartoons and
ridicule.
The Baptism of the Lord (B)
January 10,1982
THE Yf7 ORD
THIS W EEKEND
Paul Karnowski
Is. 42: 14,6-7
Acts 10: 34-38
Mk. 1: 7-11
It has to be a difficult decision for anyone
who values their privacy. Yet each year
thousands of men and women, in hope of
achieving a greater good and wider
recognition, voluntarily relinquish a large
portion of their right to seclusion as they
accept positions in the public sector.
Government officials, whether elected or
appointed, have the Watergate scandal to
thank for this endless scrutiny. Nothing is
sacred. From alcoholic cousins to anemic
aunts, from unsuccessful business ventures to
peculiar eating habits, everything is fair prey
for the press - especially if the slightest
suspicion of wrongdoing is aroused.
Before entering the political playground,
no one noticed, much less cared about, their
private doings - save for a few nosy neighbors
and meddling relatives. But once the
appointment is made or the candidacy
announced their business becomes our
business.
It is much the same for a messiah. In
today’s gospel Jesus is baptized by John in the
Jordan. Mark, whose chronicle begins with
this event, records the formal announcement
of the public life of Jesus. “A voice came from
the heavens,” he tells us, saying, “You are my
beloved Son. On you my favor rests.” From
this point on, Jesus’ life and teaching are
subjected to the ever-critical analysis of the
Pharisees. In the years ahead they will attempt
to pick apart His teaching; they will complain
about the company that He keeps; they will
send Him to His death. Despite the criticism
Jesus quietly goes about His business of
preaching the kingdom of God and
announcing the salvation of mankind.
If the Baptism of the Lord marks Him as an
easy target for criticism, then our baptisms are
much the same. As baptized believers we are
“announced” to the world. Baptism marks us
as upholders of certain principles, messengers
who bring good news to the world. We
publicly endorse the platform of love and
salvation that Jesus first announced. If He
experienced adverse reaction, we can expect
the same. But the similarity ends there, for, all
too often, the criticism we receive is deserved.
EYEING CANADA - Four Polish seamen stick their
heads through portholes of the Polish fishing vessel Regulus
as it docks at Vancouver, British Columbia. Of 80 crew
members on the Regulus, 19 jumped ship requesting to
remain in Canada while another 28 on board have applied to
stay. A number of Polish vessels arriving in Canada have lost
crew members because of the crisis in their homeland.
A Song Cut Short
Father John Catoir
(USPS) 574 880)
Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Most Rev. Thomas A. Donnellan Publisher
Rev. Monsignor Noel C. Burtenshaw Editor
Gretchen R. Reiser - Associate Editor
Thea K. Jarvis Contributing Editor
Member of the Catholic Press Association
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As we begin 1982, I know you join me in
thanking God for another year of life with
all its promises and possibilities.
The Christophers emphasize the
Judeo-Christian tradition that God sends
each person into this world with a special
message to deliver, a special song to sing. No
one can sing your song or proclaim your
message for you. Either you do it yourself,
or it won’t be done at all.
Life is a great opportunity with unlimited
horizons. How sad it is when our earthly life
is cut short. But it happens all the time - a
high school senior in a car accident, a
four-year-old with leukemia, an infant
burned in a fire, a fetus sucked from its
mother’s womb.
Did you know that in America alone there
are more human lives aborted in one year
than the sum total of all the U.S. military
and civilian personnel killed in all the wars
we’ve ever fought? Here’s the death toll: the
Revolutionary War (25,324), the Civil War
(498,332), World War I (116,516), World
War II (545,108), Korean War (54,246),
Vietnam War (56,555). Last year alone the
number of legalized abortions in the U.S.
exceeded 1.5 million; a shocking 12 million
babies have been killed since Jan. 22, 1973
when the Supreme Court legalized abortion.
Twelve million human lives - that’s almost
ten times the total number of war dead in all
our wars combined. Why is there a different
attitude toward the unborn?
In his book “Abortion: the Silent
Holocaust,” Father John Powell, S.J., tells
the story of Victor Rosenblum, a professor
of law and political science at Northwestern
University. He was asked in a public debate
if he would favor an abortion if it were
medically certain that the baby would be
retarded. The questioner obviously didn’t
know that Prof. Rosenblum had a retarded
child of his own. He replied, “Oh no, no,
no,” and then continued:
“Do you believe in love? I don’t mean
simple lip service to love. I am talking about
life service. Do you really believe that we are
here to love one another? If you do then
don’t say, ‘I will love you because you have
your mental faculties and because you are
To the Editor:
Thank you for the wonderful article you
wrote about The Church’s Presence At The
1982 World’s Fair. The article was terrific. I
think it is a great opportunity for all of us to
proclaim the Gospel together, and I am
certainly glad we are doing it.
Theodore Baehr
The Episcopal Radio &
Television Foundation, Inc.
Atlanta
healthy, but not love you because you have
only one arm.’
“If we really believe in love we would say,
‘Baby, we are going to love you. We will be
your arms. We will take care of you. You
can be sure of that. You are one of us, a
member of our human family and we will
always love you’.”
Four thousand human lives are destroyed
each day in this country alone by legalized
abortion. It is a silent holocaust.
For a free copy of the Christopher News
Notes, Choosing Life,” send a stamped,
self-addressed envelope to The Christophers’
12 East 48th St., New York, N.Y. 10017.
To the Editor:
Carlin and I want to thank you for the
special edition of the Atlanta Bulletin and
for the complimentary copies we have been
receiving. We do enjoy reading it, and we
appreciate your kindness.
Our best wishes for a Happy Christmas
and a New Year filled with many blessings.
Mary G. Hyland
Philadelphia
(Mrs. Hyland is the sister-in-law of the late Bishop
Frances E. Hyland.)
Resound ... Resound