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November 29, 2006
Feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle
Rom 10:9-18 / Mt 4:18-22
There is something in us human beings that inclines us time after time to define one another as either insiders or outsiders. Sometimes the distinction is racial or ethnic, sometimes it’s religious, sometimes the dividing line is economic or educational or political, or slave versus free. But whatever the cause, the lines are always there and firmly drawn. This kind of thinking has even invaded the Church at times. It was not until 1839 that a pope definitively condemned slavery. It was not until the end of Vatican Council II that the Church finally rejected the idea that there could be no salvation outside its boundaries.
St. Paul rejected that kind of thinking 2000 years ago, as we hear in today’s epistle. “There is no difference between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, rich in mercy to all who call upon Him.” It certainly does take a long time for that truth to trickle down to the rest of us! Yet the words of Jesus in the Gospels are full of that very insight. It makes us wonder how much of the rest of Jesus’s message we may have been missing!
Jesus asks us to look at one another — without exception — through God’s eyes, and to see in each human being either a brother or a sister, a beloved child of God like ourselves, a stumbling wayfarer very much like ourselves. He asks us to extend to each of God’s children the same compassion which God our Father extends to us every day without fail.
How can we say no? Very simply, we cannot!
An email from the Schwabs of Desert Voice about Father Altier.
Dear Friends and Supporters of Father Altier,
Praised be Jesus Christ!
The Catholic Medical Association has released a document asking the Catholic bishops of this country to STOP the use of the controversial sex education programs now being pushed upon our children, saying they are inappropriate and not in keeping with Catholic Church teaching. The CMA released its 55-page study prior to the U.S. bishop's meeting earlier this month hoping that the bishops would re-evaluate their 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People which implemented the use of the sex-ed "safety" programs. But there has yet to be an announcement from the bishops concerning the CMA's request that the programs no longer be used.
See www.desertvoice.org for a link to the LifeSite News article.
Parents everywhere need to know that the Catholic doctors of this country have condemned these programs. Our children's souls are at stake and we need to act now in order to truly protect our children -- even if the majority of bishops in America should fail to do so. With the release of the CMA document, it is time to ask for the intervention of the Pontifical Council for the Family in this matter.
We urge everyone to contact Cardinal Trujillo at the following address:
His Eminence Alfonso Cardinal Lopez Trujillo
Pontifical Council for the Family
Piazza San Calisto, 16
00120 Vatican City State
Fax: (39)-06-6988-7272 (When dialing from USA, start with 011)
Email: pcf@family.va
When writing to the Cardinal, please be brief and to the point. Mention the document released by the Catholic Medical Association and the fact that it was distributed to the bishops who have failed to act on this issue. Include the LifeSite News article in your correspondence for reference. The CMA study is not available online but can be ordered from their website at www.cathmed.org You should address the particular situation concerning the sex-ed programs being used in your own diocese. The Vatican will only intervene in cases that are within the diocese of the person writing.
It is most effective to send copies of the materials actually being used in these programs, highlighting the most offensive parts. Should you attempt to acquire the materials from a parish teacher and are denied access, let the Vatican know.
Again, one must be brief and clear. The Vatican receives numerous letters and short letters with documented proof are best.
*Other news: Over the past months, we have been sending Father Altier's monthly schedule via email. It has been decided to reserve the use of email for news items only. So beginning in December, there will be a link on the DesertVoice homepage titled "Father Altier's Monthly Schedule" which you can click on to see his current Mass schedule. Hopefully this will simplify things for both local people and those who live outside the St. Paul/Minneapolis area.
God bless you and may you all have a grace-filled Advent,
The Schwab's at DesertVoice