Readers Speak Out: September 20, 2020

Loving enemies

Re: Tabernacle stolen from St. Catharines cathedral:

It is rather interesting that the discarded tabernacle was found on Sept. 9, and the very next day the Gospel reading from Luke (Ch. 6: 27-38) was as if Jesus came out to speak to anyone who might be feeling angry and hateful towards the criminals who did such a disrespectful act: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who abuse you.”  When I read the article I did feel very angry and wanted to exchange with family and friends all kinds of hateful words about the criminals, just making my assumption who they might be.

But I was able to reflect on those words I heard just a couple of days ago and now I just feel very sad that something like this happens to our Church. That we have enemies.

Iona D’Cruz,

Toronto

Word play

Re: Invalid baptisms (Aug. 30):

The improper wording making baptisms invalid must be a real shock to Catholics who have always been taught that anyone can baptize. In an emergency many have performed the sacrament. There may be thousands around the world worrying if they were “we” baptisms or “I” baptisms — bizarre! Also, wanting clarification — if the “we” die before re-baptism, where do they go? To limbo maybe, or is that no longer an option? Long time since I’ve heard that word. Surely the Vatican has more to worry about than this semantics nonsense.

Rita Smith,

Midland, Ont.

Finding courage

Re: Schools starting back

Supply teaching is not always a rose garden — going to a different school everyday, meeting new students and staff can be challenging. It is even more so now with the threat of COVID-19. When re-entering the workforce this poem (from K. Mills, St. Philip Neri) was left for me on the teacher’s desk. It was appreciated.

“Courage is not a lion’s den,

a tossing sea, a mountain peak.

Courage is what we take each day

to face the odds.

To do only to have undone,

To befriend only to be friendless

To love only to be unloved

To open doors only to have them closed.

These are the things of which courage is made

For the bravest among us

is really afraid.”

A.E. Hughes Hall,

Toronto

Feeling human

Lou Iacobelli’s letter that appeared in your Aug. 3 issue brought back memories of a letter I addressed to The Register last year on a similar theme of the Church hierarchy’s refusal to respond to the persecution we face in Canada.

How many Catholics in Canada who support the Liberal party  are aware of the fact that a decision by any of them to stand for a parliiamentary election will compel them to support the government’s abortion policy which if they chose to do so is tantamount to surrendering their freedom of belief which undergirds every other freedom in a democratic polity.

This compulsion for our Liberal parliamentarians to suppport the government’s obsession with abortion rips apart the traditional agreement of separation of Church and  state and should allow the Church as the aggrieved party to challenge the government on this score and allow the Church to abandon its policy of docility and take its place on the public stage where it rightly belongs. 

J.E. Sequeira,

Pointe Claire, Que.