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Father Barry's January 2010 Pastor Pages
[Last week the Bishop of Wichita, Most Rev. Michael Jackels, testified before the Kansas legislative sub-committee regarding the
abolishment of the death penalty in the State of Kansas. This is an excerpt from his statement.]
The Catholic Church teaches that public authorities have the right and the duty to punish criminals in a way that matches the seriousness
of their crime. They are morally justified in the msot serious cases to impose even the death penalty. This is a self-defense based on
the commandment to love oneself (Mark 12:31). The guilt of the unjust aggressor and the need to protect society makes capital punishment
morally different from the killing of an innocent child in elective abortion, which is never justified.
It is worth recall, however, that Pope John Paul II of happy memory often made public appeals for public authorities to show clemency
and to refrain from using the death penalty. In the same vein, Pope Benedict XVI recently commended the Philippine government for
outlawing the use of the death penalty. These interventions were made because the Catholic Church also teaches that the death penalty
should not be imposed if there are other ways to guarantee public order and the safety of citizens.
In the light of the above, for a number of reasons preference should be given whenever possible to punishments other than the
death penalty:
- When a person is falsely condemned and executed there is no possibility to correct the error, resulting in a supreme injustice;
- It does not offer the offender the possibility of reform or to pay his debt to society, both of which are principal aims of punishment;
- It can make people forget their own dignity as human persons or that of others, seen for example in the carnival atmosphere that sometimes
occurs on the occasion of an execution;
- It is too often associated with attitudes and behavior that are opposed to Christian life, such as hatred of or vengeance against the criminal
(Matthew 5:38-48)
- It is not possible, at least in our country, to guarantee the public order and the safety of citizens without recourse to capital punishment.
Support for the abolishment of the death penalty in no way diminishes the condemnation of the evil deeds that brutally victimize innocent
people, or the profound sympathy towards people who have been made a victim or who grieve the murder of a family member or friend. This
righteous anger and compassion notwithstanding, recourse can and should be made to bloodless means to protect public order and the
safety of people, instead of making use of the death penalty.
Last Friday, January 22nd was the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade (1973) which made abortion on demand legal in
the United States. The following editorial on the painful consequences of abortion was published by the editor of the Salina Journal
in 2005.
We hear lots about Generation X and Generation Y. These twentysomethings and teens are some of the most studied people in history.
Marketers are hungry for their dollars. They research the generations' music and reading habits, analyze what they watch on television
and where they go on the Interent. Video games, movies and menus are tailored to their tastes. These generations are coveted for their
buying power. Billions of dollars will go to those who attract even a small piece of that business.
But we don't hear much about Generation S. This is the Silent Generation, some 42 million who never saw the light of day after the
U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortions on demand in 1973. The affect of this generation on American society and our economy may be
greater than any other. No one ever bought them clothes or toys or built them classrooms. They never held summer jobs, bought cars,
went to college, built homes, nor entered the work force. They will never pay Social Security or income taxes. They will never open
savings accounts or buy stocks and bonds for retirement. They will never have children of their own to feed, house and educate. By one
estimate the first wave of this generation would have contributed $1.7 billion to Medicare and $7.4 billion to Social Security in their
first year of employment.
However, abortion supporters say this generation would have entered the world unwanted. They would have put economic burdens on
families, prevented women from entering the work force and tested the limits of state and federal social services. That is true.
In some cases families are better off financially; parents have good jobs and fewer expenses. But when we weight the final costs
of abortion, let's remember the generation that will never be. Gone are teachers, scientists, artists and chefs; mothers, fathers,
brothers and sisters. No good can come from that loss. It is good to see that more of us are waking up to that fact. Anti-abortion
sentiment is growing. Recent surveys show that Americans are evenly split on whether abortion is morally wrong or right. Eventually
this sad era will be behind us. But not before millions more join Generation S. Editorial by Tom bell (August 16, 2005)
It has been five years since our last parish photo directory; our last photo directory was in 2005. Needless to say
a lot has changed in our parish since then: new families have moved into the parish, babies have been born, marriages
have been celebrated, people have been initiated into our faith community and some of our loved ones have gone before
us in death. Over the course of five years babies have become young children, children have become teenagers and teenagers
have become young adults. (Of course, those of us who are adults haven't aged a bit since the last photo directory!)
Our local parish photo directory assists us in numerous ways to become closer as a parish family. It enables us to begin to
learn the names of people we may often see in Church but do not yet know; we have approximately 590 family units in our
parish which means even in a town the size of Concordia not everyone is acquainted with one another in the parish. The picture
directory helps us to become familiar with our brothers and sisters in Christ, learning to recognize how individuals and families
are related to one another. It assists in promoting unity and a sense of community in our parish. The directory can assist us to
feel more at home in our local parish.
During the month of February we will be signing parishioners up to have their picture taken. This will take place before and
after every Mass beginning the first Sunday in February. We will arrange to have pictures taken of parishioners who are homebound or
in nursing homes. Life Touch, a professional company which specializes in parish pictorial directories, will be producing our
directory. Each family or individual who has their photograph taken will receive a FREE 8 x 10 color picture and a new parish
directory at no cost. There will be an opportunity for you to purchase additional photographs but you are under no obligation to
do so. Photographs will be taken during the weeks of March 16-20 (Tuesday-Saturday) and March 23-27 (Tuesday-Saturday). More information
will be forthcoming in the bulletin. Even if you don't want a photograph of yourself, our parish needs you to be included. Our
directory will not be complete without YOU!
The week (January 10-17) has been designated by the United States bishops as National Vocations Awareness Week.
This occasion helps to remind us that religious vocations to the priesthood or religious life do not happen by accident.
Rather, religious vocations come about by individuals freely discerning, based on their talents, skills and interests,
whether God is extending an invitation to use those skills in serving the Church by becoming a priest, religious sister
or brother. This discernment doesn't happen in a vacuum but requires the support and encouragement of parents, friends,
and the parish community.
Many people will recall a time in the life of the church when seminaries were more common as well as other institutions
(schools, hospitals, orphanages) operated by a variety of religious orders. It was from these schools and institutions
that young men and women were given an opportunity to think about, talk about, and consider a possible vocation in the Church as
priest, brother or sister. It was also an opportunity for young people to become acquainted with the particular work and ministry
done by religious sisters and priests. This was a time period when religious vocations were more plentiful and it was considered
a badge of honor to have a son or daughter in the family who was a priest or religious sister. This is not always the case today.
Needless to say times have changed dramatically and we live in a world in which the family and the values we live by have been
radically altered. Seminaries are not as numerous. No longer are hospitals and other social institutions teeming with religious
sisters, brothers and priests. Young people are only remotely acquainted with a priest or religious sister. Opportunities for
one-to-one conversation are few and fleeting. On top of this, the cultural trend is away from lifetime commitments and permanancy.
Lifetime commitments are often seen today as undesirable and impossible. For example, the marital divorce rate is around 46% and most
people change jobs/companies at least five times now in their life. Also the public image of priests and religious is under attack today,
making a church vocation seem less credible and attractive.
In this sometimes confusing and uncertain time, one thing hasn't changed. God is still calling and inviting men and women to consider
serving the Body of Christ on earth in a special way as a priest, religious sister or brother. God's call has not changed. What has changed
is our willingness to listen and respond, as well as to lend assistanct to those who need our help to respond to God's invitation.
As Christians we believe that Jesus is the Savior sent by God. One of Jesus' titles is the "Prince of Peace." He is given
this title because he is the source of our peace. Through Him all things in heaven and on earth were reconciled to God when
Jesus made peace by his death on the cross. Jesus shares His own peace with his disciples, telling them "Peace is what I leave with
you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid" (John 14:27).
The world's version of peace is merely the absence of war and conflict. The peace Jesus speaks about is based on justice and being in right
relationship with one another. Pope John XXIII (in a document entitled Peace on Earth) wrote that true peace is always more than
the absence of war. True peace flourishes in a social order which is founded on truth, built on justice, enlivened by love and refined in freedom.
What does this mean for us today in our lives? The peace Christ offers to us does not appear automatically, accidentally or magically in our lives.
Jesus empowers his disciples and friends to be ministers of reconciliation (2 Corin. 5:19-20). As his disciples we are to be a people who make the
peace of God visible through lives characterized by forgiveness and love. This means it is by forgiving those who have hurt us and seeking the
forgiveness of those who we have injured that we begin to experience peace. It is also through the love that we share with others,
particularly those most in need, that we open our lives to Christ's peace. In other words, peace comes as a result of sacrifice...Sacrificing for love,
reconciliation, justice and to promote what is right, good and true.
In God's reign, the poor are given the kingdom, the gentle inherit the earth, mourners are comforted, those who hunger and thirst for what is right are
satisfied, the merciful know mercy, the pure see God, peacemakers are called children of God (Matthew 5:3-10). Jesus' words and actions indicate that
forgiveness and love characterize God's reign but his message cost Jesus his life. Jesus invites us to share in his life & peace by joining our sacrifice to his.
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Pastor Pages Archives
Christmas Peace 1/3/10
Vocations in the Church 1/10/10
New Pictorial Directory for Parish 1/17/10
A High Cost for Our Lost Generation 1/24/10
The Death Penalty 1/31/10
February 2010 Pastor Pages
March 2010 Pastor Pages
April 2010 Pastor Pages
May 2010 Pastor Pages
June 2010 Pastor Pages
July 2010 Pastor Pages
August 2010 Pastor Pages
September 2010 Pastor Pages
October 2010 Pastor Pages
Current Pastor Pages
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