         
Pastor's Desk Archive             
2007 Pastor's Desk Arch.            
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Pastor's Desk Archive (October 2007)Christian Conscience And The Dignity Of Human Life (10/07/2007)
Gratitude Is The Answer (10/14/2007) Christian Conscience And The Dignity Of Human Life (10/07/2007)The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines conscience as a judgment of reason by which we recognize the moral quality of a concrete act. A conscientious decision, then, goes way beyond merely having an opinion about the rightness or wrongness of a particular action. It involves the very meaning of truth itself. In fact, the word moral means true. For thousands of years, philosophers and great thinkers have been exploring the meaning of truth. Jesus Christ told His disciples that He was “The Way, the Truth, and the Life”. Sadly, some churchgoing Catholics don’t always make choices on the basis of a conscience that has been shaped by the teachings of Christ and His Church. Rather, shaped more by the influences of secular culture, they make many important decisions on the basis of personal opinions. Such decisions are of critical importance when they involve issues of life itself. Shall we support scientific research using embryonic stem cells because doing so might lead to medical cures and treatments? Since all of us began our lives as embryos, on what reasonable basis can we justify such research? Do we change the longstanding ethical standard which forbids experimentation on human beings because these human beings are microscopic in size? The truth is that human stem cells can be obtained for research purposes that don’t involve the destruction of human embryos. You won’t learn that from the media. Shall we endorse a so-called woman’s right to choose an abortion because the Supreme Court has declared that doing so is legally permitted? Previous courts have ruled that owning slaves was legal. Reason and revelation clearly tell us that choosing an abortion is an antiseptic way of saying killing an unborn child. Shall we support medically assisted suicide out of compassion for the suffering of terminally ill patients? There will soon be greatly increasing numbers of Americans in their 80’s and beyond. Lots of them will develop fatal illnesses that will rob them of vitality and consciousness. Is it really an act of compassion to hasten their deaths? For whose benefit? To lighten the burden on harried caregivers and potential heirs? Reason and revelation tell us that God is the author of life and death. While we don’t have to unduly prolong life through the use of heroic and extraordinary measures, neither do we need to hasten the moment of death. Gratitude Is The Answer (10/14/2007)Feeling a little down and out? Disappointed in something or someone? Can’t let go of anger and resentment? These are just some of the vexing questions for which gratitude is the answer. You say you’re not in the mood for gratitude on such occasions? That’s a problem for which the solution is also gratitude. I don’t have to feel grateful in order to be grateful. The kind of gratitude I am referring to is based on facts not feelings. It is especially in times of difficulty that taking what is referred to as a gratitude inventory is just what is needed to pull us out of our fears and anxieties. Today’s Gospel story was about ten lepers whom Jesus healed of their dreaded leprosy—a hideously disfiguring disease. Yet only one of the ten, upon realizing he had been healed, returns to give gratitude to Jesus. And this guy wasn’t even an Israelite. He wasn’t interested in the conflict between his own people and the Jews. He just knew how grateful he was for having been cured and needed to go back and thank Jesus with his whole heart. So you haven’t been healed of leprosy, but surely you’ve been the recipient of some blessings for which you ought to be grateful. If you’re reading this, you certainly qualify as one of the many sinners who gather every Sunday to give God thanks and praise for the totally unmerited blessing of salvation. Surely someone besides God loves you. Are you grateful for that love. Surely you have hurt at least one person who decided to forgive you. Isn’t that something for which you should be very grateful. Do you have an income? A family? A roof over your head? Food on the table and in the cupboards? Clothing on your back? Reliable transportation? Friends who love you even with your faults? So, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His mercy endures forever! War And Peace (10/21/2001)We have been praying for a long time now for our men and women in uniform who are serving our country overseas, especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Does this mean that we are for war and against peace? I believe that only a naïve person could even ask that question. What does it mean to be for peace in Iraq for instance? Is there a single one of us who does not wish that the terrible suffering that has been going on in that country for more than thirty years could be ended so that all people there could live in peace, and so that our own forces would no longer be in harm’s way? I know for sure that our military commanders and the troops they lead would choose “peace” in a heartbeat. After all, they are the ones whose lives are on the line. Wars are often fought when the alternative appears to pose a greater risk. And the alternative cannot always be described by the word “peace”. Can we deny that Islamic extremists have not only declared war on Americans but have demonstrated this in numerous attacks both here and abroad? Their version of Islam calls upon them to shed their blood unceasingly until they successfully bring about the reign of Allah and the imposition of religious law. Many Americans seem to think that the threat is overstated and, in any event, cannot justify our aggression. Since Osama Bin Laden and his fellow jihadists had launched their attacks from their training camps in Afghanistan, there was great support for our military intervention there. Although the Taliban still make efforts to regain control, can anyone deny that the war torn people of that country have a better shot at peace than before we became engaged there? Does anyone besides me remember how popular the initial attack on Iraq was? The Congress supported it and upwards of 70% of Americans did as well. The intervention was based on a policy begun in the Clinton administration called “regime change”; and the goals were to free 25 million people from a tyrant and protect ourselves from weapons of mass destruction in one fell swoop. Some of our military leaders apparently thought it could be wrapped up in no time and with relatively few troops. But now we know “the rest of the story” and it has not been pretty. Al Qaeda leaders have stated explicitly that Iraq is the principal battle in their war on the US and its “satanic” sympathizers. They appear to believe that a victory there will be a major rebuke to the US, and a signal to all Muslims that they too should join the cause. I don’t enjoy seeing Americans or Iraqis being injured and killed. I truly wish there were a simple solution. I’d like to see all our troops come home and very soon. I’d also like to avoid having madmen threaten to end our way of life. Come, Lord Jesus. The Humble Shall Be Exalted (10/28/2007)In today’s gospel passage Jesus refers to prayers offered in the temple by a tax collector and a Pharisee. The latter seeks to justify himself before God by boasting of his virtues, his fasting, and his paying of tithes and offerings. While doing so, he brings a judgment against the despised tax collector. Interestingly, the tax collector seems very conscious of his lowliness as he utters a simple request for God’s mercy. Jesus commends this prayer as that of an individual who knows his place before God. Isn’t that what humility is all about...knowing our place before God? Humility is very often confused with timidity and shyness which couldn’t be further from the truth. Some of the greatest saints were humble, not because they were soft spoken or passive, but because they were teachable and thus able to rely on God’s wisdom and guidance. The humble are able to be exalted because they allow God to place them where they are needed most. God placed Jesus at the head of His body, the church, and yet as “head” He acted as a servant to all. He was called Master, Teacher, and Lord, yet He wrapped a towel around His waist and proceeded to wash the feet of His disciples. He entered triumphantly into Jerusalem and was rightly hailed as king and messiah, yet He suffered betrayal, and accepted death on a cross like a lowly criminal. But because of willingness to do whatever God asked of Him (in all humility), He was exalted by being raised from the dead and by ascending to the right hand of the Father. Are you teachable enough to allow God to lead you where He wants you in His church? Or, are you still setting down the terms of your service? Now is always the time for each of us to come before God like that lowly tax collector in the parable and, acknowledging that we are sinners, (those who go only where they choose to go and do only what they choose to do) beg God for His divine mercy. Then we can ask: Lord, how may I serve You best? Here I am Lord, I come to do Your will. |
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