I have a cause that I feel is that important and I recently responded with a letter to the editor of the Wichita Eagle. The letter was published. (It’s not the first time I’ve had one published.) The next day, a friend of mine suggested that I get a hobby.
In this country we have the freedom to speak up and express ours opinions about things that are important to us, even if others may not agree. People in other countries don’t always have what we call “freedom of speech”. We should not take this right lightly. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
My letter was in reference to another letter that suggested that it was wrong for the Catholic Church to use communion as a weapon for politicians who oppose the Church on the issue of abortion. This was in reference to Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-Rhode Island, a Catholic, who recently criticized the nation’s Catholic bishops for their opposition to the health care reform unless the Congress restricts federal funding for abortions. You can read the story here on my blog. Here’s my letter to the editor which was published on Sunday November 29, 2009. http://www.kansas.com/opinion/letters/story/1075675.html The bold print is what the Wichita Eagle edited out of my letter.
The Catholic Church is not a cafeteria where one in disagreement can pick or choose what they want to believe. One cannot start pulling pages out of “The Bible” or “The Catechism of the Catholic Church” just because they don’t agree with what the Church teaches.
Name withheld (Communion Should Not Be a Weapon) was wrong in saying that the bread symbolizes Christ’s body. The bread actually becomes the true body and blood of Jesus Christ! That’s why Bishop Thomas Tobin was right in asking Rep. Patrick Kennedy not to receive communion. Through his actions and statements, Kennedy was in a state of sin. The Church teaches, “Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion”.
In his letter to Kennedy, Tobin uses this occasion as a “teaching moment” not just for Kennedy but for all Catholics. Bishop Tobin offers Kennedy the opportunity “…to enter into a process of discernment, conversion, and repentance”. Bishop Tobin also explains the obligations of Catholics and describes what it means to be a Catholic, “…that you are part of a faith community that possesses a clearly defined authority and doctrine, obligations and expectations. It means that you believe and accept the teaching of the Church, especially on essential matters of faith and morals….
You can read the full text of the letter at the web site of “The Rhode Island Catholic”. http://www.thericatholic.com/opinion/detail.html?sub_id=2632
It obviously made an impact on at least two other people. One looked up my name in the phone book and called me thanking me for expressing my opinion. The other also looked up my name and sent me a letter also thanking me and saying that it inspired her to write to the hierarchy of the Church on this issue.
Here is the text of her letter to me. I’ve omitted her name for privacy reasons.
Dear Mr. Brennan,
I am writing a big Thank You to you! You have voiced the opinion of many area national and international Catholics.
We are constantly bombarded by the media, enjoining us to fit the Church into our lives instead of the other way round. We’re told what to believe by atheists and Protestants.
You have inspired me to write to our hierarchy urging them to follow the Church even when their teachings are difficult.
Sincerely,
Name Withheld
To my friend who suggested I get a hobby. This is my hobby! In some ways it is more of a hobby because it is only through Jesus Christ and His Church that we will get to heaven. That makes it a way of life. It is our job on earth to get to heaven and take as many people as we can with us. Most people write to be heard and to inspire others. It is obvious that my letter to the editor did just that. This is the reinforcement I need to continue my hobby (way of life) of writing whenever I feel that I have words of wisdom to share.
