Readers Speak Out: May 8, 2022

Crisis of fear

Peter Stockland’s column “Be not afraid” references the over-the-top reaction to the pandemic, but it also has powerful theological implications.

There are over 60 references to the phrase in the Bible and over 20 from the Lord Himself. It is at the heart of Christianity: Death is conquered by first overcoming the fear of death on Good Friday.

Pandemics come and go, but what is endemic in the West is a crisis of faith which began with the Enlightenment. The noble aims were to remove cant and superstition from our understanding of God but ended up squeezing out God altogether.

When Jesus walks on the water, He tells the terrified disciples, “It is I. Be not afraid.” The first half of that sentence is postulation, the second is corollary.

Michael Dias,

Markham, Ont.

Celibate citizens

I always hesitate to open my Catholic Register for fear of another tired nostrum on sexual abuse in the Church.

As an antidote, I offer another perspective. Ordination to the priesthood doesn’t abrogate secular status as a citizen of Canada. A priest still must have a Social Inusrance card, a passport to travel, a driver’s license etc. If he falls foul, he will be charged and, if convicted, punished regardless of his religious status. Why should his celibate status earn the prominence in the media that it doesn’t really deserve if he is charged with sexual abuse?

Nothing in the secular law says an immoral act is more egregious when performed by a religious celibate. Yet nine times out of 10, the Canadian citizenship of a priest defendant is ignored because celibacy makes the news more appealing to the media in expressing its anti-Catholic prejudice.

J.E. Sequeira,

Pointe Claire, Que.

Share life

On the front side of envelopes for the ShareLife donation is a statement: “I want to make a difference.”

To make a difference, there are a number of options. For example: To make things better or worse. To go forward or backward. To motivate or cool down. To speed up or slow down. To make holy or evil.

Let us be clear in making a difference by waking up more new donors to support brothers and sisters in their needs, please.

Mile Pletikosa,

Scarborough, Ont.

Birth right

Sex-selective abortion is wrong. The majority of Canadians agree that using abortion for sex selection is wrong, yet Canada’s lack of abortion laws allow this practice to continue.

Girls are aborted at a higher rate than boys simply because they are girls. In a country that claims to value equality, this is unacceptable.

Standing up for the equal rights of women includes standing up for their right to be born. 

Dean Clark,

Langley, B.C.