Tom Hanks' new movie, "Road to Perdition" was not a summer blockbuster like Will Smith’s "Men in Black II" or Austin Power’s "Goldmember." "Road to Perdition" is long and serious. It has no car chases, no crass humor, no startling special effects and no sex. There are several violent scenes, but the violence in them is muted and, like the violence in a Flannery O’Connor story, it is essential to the narrative. Though it may not make a lot of money, the film is quite remarkable and thought provoking, a majestic visual tone poem that makes one think of films from another era like "High Noon" and "Shane." The theme of the film is directly related to the parables of the "Kingdom of Heaven" about which Jesus speaks so powerfully in the Gospel of Matthew. We heard these parables often on Sundays during the summer.
All of the main characters in "Road to Perdition" are Catholics. They go to Mass and Communion on Sundays. They pray, "Bless us O Lord" before their meals. They have crucifixes and images of the Blessed Mother in their homes. But they are also members of a mob of cold-blooded murderers. In a key scene set in a church basement after Mass and Communion, Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) tells mob boss John Rooney (Paul Newman), "I’m going to kill your son, Connor, because he murdered my wife and son." Rooney replies nonchalantly, "But we’re all murderers here! The only thing that is certain is that none of us is going to heaven." They are not going to heaven because they are all on the "road to perdition"(another word for hell). They are literally "lost" in their sinfulness and headed in the opposite direction of the Kingdom of Heaven. The director, Sam Mendes, underscores this with scenes of torrential rain, a potent symbol of the baptismal commitments the protagonists have abandoned and the reality of their "paradise lost."
During the lazy days of summer many people want movies that are light, escapist fare. Some may even want Sunday homilies that are equally superficial. This makes it possible to hear Jesus’ many references to the Kingdom of Heaven without ever asking what does He mean. What is He talking about? What is the Kingdom of Heaven? Is the Kingdom of Heaven the Catholic Church? No, it is not. Is it all of the Christian churches working together to spread the gospel? No, it is not. Is it all people of good will who are working for peace and justice in our world, no matter what theire religious beliefs may be? No, it is not. What, then, is the Kingdom? Those readers who have studied the gospels closely are aware of a somewhat surprising fact. Though Jesus speaks of the coming Kingdom or the "reign of God" very often, He never says what it is. Instead, He says that the Kingdom is "in your midst," "within you," and "before you." He then gives us a variety of images and metaphors to convey what the Kingdom is like, but never what it is. It is like seeds of wheat that are almost destroyed by the weeds planted by enemies, like a tiny mustard seed that grows into a large bush, like a small amount of yeast that makes the entire loaf of bread rise, like a treasure or a pearl of great value for which one would pay the highest price.
None of these parabolic images tell us what the Kingdom is. They only suggest how valuable it is and its power to grow from something small to something very large. Many scripture scholars and theologians have suggested that from the context of the entire gospel narrative it is evident that the kingdom is ultimately a mystery. It is the mystery of the powerful work of God, a divine "inbreak" into human history in the life, teachings, deeds, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that will ultimately transform human history and the whole world when Christ comes again in glory at the end of time. When we pray in the "Our Father" "thy Kingdom come," we are acknowledging that the kingdom is essentially God’s work and not our own. And while the Church is not itself the Kingdom, the Church and all of her members are called to be a sign of God’s coming Kingdom, the first fruits of the kingdom.
Every Christian, therefore, is called to live a life of faith, hope, and love every day in order to be a credible sign of this Kingdom. It is only by doing this amid the sorrows, joys, frustrations, and dreams of everyday life that we avoid the road to perdition.
Several events in this past year have made us aware of the need for all of us not to assume that we or others are living lives that place our feet on the road to the Kingdom. Indeed, the horrific nature of the events have suggested some may be going in the opposite direction, down the road to perdition.
The first and most shocking of these was the terrible events of one year ago, Sept.11, when four U.S. airplanes were hijacked and turned into human missiles of destruction, killing over 3,000 people in the inferno of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in a field in Pennsylvania. This unspeakable horror caused an unending nightmare of sorrow for thousands, plunged the nation into shock and led to the war in Afghanistan and an ongoing "war against terrorism." This in turn exacerbated the differences between Islam and Christianity and seemingly intensified the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. In the midst of the smoke, fire, devastation, fear and tears, many Americans said that their lives had been changed forever. Now, a year later, we might ask ourselves, have we changed our lives in such a way as to avoid the road to perdition and follow the road to the Kingdom of Heaven.
A second event was the widespread allegations of corruption and fraud at the highest levels of major corporations like Enron, WorldCom and Arthur Andersen that not only caused the stock market to plunge to all-time lows but also shattered the confidence of investors and made those who are arrested and punished for relatively small time street crime wonder out loud about "white collar" criminals walking away with millions. This has reminded us all of the importance of ethical standards in the world of big business (especially Christians in business) if we are to stay on the right road.
A third event was the rash of news accounts of children being abducted from their homes, abused and murdered. Each account of anxious and then grieving parents was more painful than the one before it. Neighborhoods living in fear and children asking why are these men doing such terrible things. This wanton destruction of the lives of the innocent and the young directly contradicts Christ’s words, "Allow the little children to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven."
Perhaps the event that was most immediate to us as Catholics was the allegations, first from the Archdiocese of Boston, and then from dioceses around the country, that perhaps as many as 250 of the nearly 50,000 priests in this country have sexually abused small children and minors. Then came allegations that some priests who were known to have abused children were transferred from parish to parish by their bishops, allowing them to harm yet more innocent young people. Gradually, Catholic people began to realize that they knew, liked and respected some of the offending priests. This forced the realization that these were not always bad priests doing bad things; but in many cases it was good priests doing bad things. It was further revealed that millions of dollars contributed by the faithful for the spread of the gospel might have been spent to compensate the alleged abuse victims. These terrible events and the media coverage of them caused great turmoil in the hearts of Catholics, driving the Church in the United States into the greatest crisis in our history. Exaggerated headlines like, "Can the Catholic Church be saved?" made many people compare the Church to corrupt secular corporations concerned more about image and profits than the welfare of vulnerable children entrusted into the Church’s care. Could some members of the Church itself, called to be a tangible manifestation that God’s Kingdom is at hand, be leading others on the road to perdition?
Pope John Paul II’s summer pastoral visit to America (Toronto, Guatemala and Mexico) brought into our midst one who called himself the "old Pope." His frail, weakened condition was evident in every painful step he took and every hesitant word he uttered. But his heart was full of love for the millions who welcomed him and his words urged us all to stay on the road to the Kingdom. Referring to Sept. 11, he told the participants in World Youth Day, "Last year we saw with dramatic clarity the tragic face of human malice. We saw what happens when hatred, sin and death take command. To believe in Christ means rejecting the lure of sin no matter how attractive it may be." Speaking of the priests who have abused children he said, "Do not let the shame and sorrow caused by the weakness of a few, blind you to the great good done by the majority of priests each day. Stay close to the Church. Stay close to Christ!" As he canonized Mexico’s first indigenous saint, Juan Diego Cuauhlatoatzin, he reminded the vast throngs of their radical Christian identity. "Mexico, always faithful."
Most of the scenes in "Road to Perdition" are filmed in dark shades of gray and black, evoking Depression-era paintings like the bare, desolate canvases of Edward Hopper. By contrast, the final scene shows Michael Sullivan’s son frolicking in the sunshine on a beach. Caught between colliding worlds (perdition and redemption), he has rejected his father’s violence and set his feet on the road to heaven, at least heaven on earth. Today is a very good day to ask yourself down what road you are traveling.
Pastoral Visitations to All the Parishes Of the Diocese
By
Bishop Edward K. Braxton
In the month of October I will begin a series of pastoral visits to all of the parishes in the Diocese of Lake Charles. During these visits I will spend the weekend at each parish. In most instances, I will be the celebrant and homilist at all of the weekend masses. I will meet with the Pastor, members of the Pastoral Staff, the parish Pastoral Council, the Trustees, the Finance Committee, the Liturgy Committee and other Parish leadership. It may also be possible for me to visit some Christian faithful who are confined in their homes. This will help me, as your bishop, to come to a deeper appreciation of the life of the Christian community in each parish.
These Pastoral Visits will be a part of my overall schedule. This means that I will not be in one parish after another, weekend after weekend. I will continue to celebrate the Eucharist on Sundays at Immaculate Conception Cathedral, celebrate special liturgical events such as the installation of new pastors and participate in liturgical celebrations outside of the diocese. For these reasons I will probably do only about one Parish Pastoral Visitation a month. I will begin, appropriately, with the Cathedral Parish, October 19-20, followed by Sacred Heart (Creole), November 2-3, Our Lady Help of Christians, January 25-26, St. Philip Neri, February 1-2, Our Lady of Seven Dolors, March 1-2, St. Paul (Elton), May 17-18, Sacred Heart (Lake Charles) July 12-13. It will take several years for me to visit every parish.
The teachings of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) stress that vital, active parish communities are essential to the life of every local church or diocese. The Council Fathers (the Bishops gathered in Rome with the Holy Father) urged all diocesan bishops to manifest a direct interest in the well-being of all the parishes entrusted to their pastoral care. The Council specifically instructs bishops to make sure that teachings, practices, and new
pastoral structures mandated by the Council itself are in place. Bishops are required to be particularly concerned to ensure that the Good News of Jesus Christ as understood by the teachings of the Catholic Church is proclaimed faithfully and that the sacraments, especially the Eucharist are celebrated meaningfully and prayerfully. Therefore, during my pastoral visit, I will be particularly interested to learn about in programs and activities that contribute to sacramental preparation, especially the sacraments of Christian initiation, Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.
The celebration of the Saturday and Sunday Masses are the spiritual heart of parish life. For this reason I will make every effort to encourage the full, conscious and active participation of our people in dynamic, well prepared and reverent Eucharistic Liturgies. I have given all of the parishes copies of my Pastoral Letter, "Let us Put Out Into The Deep" as well as my "Notes for a Possible Pastoral Letter on Liturgy" and asked them to share them and discuss them with appropriate parishioners. These documents will be an important part of my Visitation.
In the course of my Pastoral Visit, I will seek to foster and strengthen communication and collaboration between the Pastor and the Parish Staff as well as all of those involved in various forms of religious education and adult formation (including the school, where there is one). In this context I will place a special emphasis on meeting families, learning about the programs for all age groups and supporting vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate and the religious life. I will be anxious to support everything that increases the spirit of welcome, friendliness, hospitality and open communication in our parish communities. An informative and interesting parish bulletin can play an important part in this communication.
The parish community is not a private social club but a community of the faithful disciples of the Lord. The parish, by its nature is always reaching out to those in need within the parish and beyond the parish boundaries. It will be important for me to learn how each parish is faithfully living the Commandments and the Beatitudes, which impel all of us to participate in ecumenical and interfaith activities and to labor tirelessly for social justice and peace in our neighborhoods. In Southwest Louisiana the harmonious relationship between people of different races, economic and social backgrounds is strengthened by our authentic living of the Gospel. It is an essential part of my ministry as the one given pastoral responsibility for the whole community of faith by the Holy Father to call forth this authentic living of the Gospel, even in situations where this may be difficult and challenging.
The material resources of each parish will also be examined during my Visitation. This means learning about the condition of the buildings, the income, the expenses, the long range plans for growth or decline, the prudent stewardship of resources and the willingness of the faithful to contribute their time talent and treasure for the good of the work of the Church.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells Peter, the prince of the apostles, that he must strengthen the other followers of Jesus in their faith. Today that mandate rests in a special way on the shoulders of the successor of Peter, Pope John Paul II and we who make up the College of Bishops as successors of the apostles. The primary purpose of my Parish pastoral Visitation will be, therefore, to do all that I can, humanly speaking, to strengthen our people in their faith. I pray to the Holy Spirit each day for those in pastoral ministry (priests, deacons, religious, laity) that they may faithfully build up the Body of Christ. I, in turn ask you to pray for me as I prepare to begin my Visitations that I may faithfully carry out my ministry to teach, govern and sanctify the holy People of God entrusted to me.
By The Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton
Thanksgiving is a truly "catholic" celebration. That is, it is a great American festival that is universal and meaningful to all, which is the meaning of the word catholic. All Americans, those who consider themselves religious and those who do not, seem to enjoy this annual autumn celebration. It can be a great time to gather with the extended members of one’s family, partake in a delicious home cooked meal, watch a football game or parade on television and savor the simple pleasures of life.
We must admit that for many Americans Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for what they themselves have accomplished, such as earning more money or obtaining a better job. Or they are grateful to "fate" because they have escaped the violence of Hurricane Lili, war, murderers and snipers. Others who have experienced great suffering and death in their families, learned they have a terminal illness, endured divorce or lost their employment this year may sincerely ask what do they have to be thankful for. They may feel abandoned by God.
The majority of Americans who believe in God (in many different faith traditions, including Christians) think of this as a day to be thankful to God for the gift of life’s simple pleasures, even if they do not say a prayer or enter a house of worship. Many Catholics, like those of other faiths, pray special prayers at home or in their churches on this day. Of course Catholics and other Christians who commemorate the Lord’s Supper and celebrate a eucharistic liturgy are aware that the very word eucharist comes from the Greek word which means "to give thanks." Every day that we give thanks to God by participating prayerfully in the eucharist is "thanksgiving day" in the deepest meaning of the words. This is why Thanksgiving is not only a catholic celebration of all U.S. citizens but also a Catholic celebration for members of the Church. This is obvious from the numbers of Catholics who faithfully participate in the Eucharist on Thanksgiving Day, even though it is a civil holiday and not a Church Holy Day. Yet, in some parishes more Catholics are at Mass on Thanksgiving than on designated Holy Days.
The celebration of Thanksgiving as we know it is a relatively recent and gradual development. In 1780 the Protestant Episcopal Church proclaimed the first Thursday in November a day for giving thanks to God. When the Revolutionary War finally ended, President George Washington designated Thursday, November 26, 1789 as a day of "public thanksgiving for the many favors of Almighty God." New York State began its observance in 1817. Documents suggest that as many as 28 states had some form of Thanksgiving commemoration by 1859. However, it did not become a national day of "praise to our beneficent Father" until Abraham Lincoln so designated the last Thursday in November in 1863. By 1939 the commercialization of Christmas prompted President Roosevelt to move the observance one week earlier to the fourth Thursday of November so that businesses could lengthen the shopping days before Christmas. It became a federal holiday in 1941. (An unintended and indirect consequence of this is the fact it is almost impossible for Catholics to prayerfully celebrate the renewing season of Advent surrounded by Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving.)
While the "tradition" of regularly celebrating Thanksgiving did not get underway until 1780, most of us associate this fall festival with the arrival of European pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean on the Mayflower fleeing religious persecution and looking for a new home, they landed on November 21 with little to live on. Perhaps half of the one hundred settlers died the first year. They were welcomed by Governor William Bradford. Though popular history books may have romanticized the early relationship between the Native peoples and the settlers, we do know that Squanto, a Wampanoag taught them the many uses of corn and how to hunt and fish in a strange land.
Most of us whose ideas were formed by Hollywood portrayals of "cowboys and Indians" are ignorant of authentic native American customs. They had their own ways of giving thanks. As Olyshaa, a Santee Dakota physician wrote in 1911, "In our lives there is only one inevitable duty -- the duty of prayer, the daily recognition of the unseen and eternal. Whenever in the course of the daily hunt, the Red Hunter comes upon a scene that is strikingly beautiful or sublime (a black thundercloud with the rainbow’s glowing arch above the mountain, a white waterfall in the heart of a green gorge, a vast prairie tinged with the blue-red of sunset) he pauses for an instant in an attitude of worship. No need to call one day in seven "holy" since all days come from the Great Spirit."
Governor Bradford called for a day of thanks to God for the survival of the new settlers. Some accounts say sixty pilgrims and ninety Native Americans participated. This "day of thanksgiving" idea was popular in the New England colonies, but it did not become an annual tradition. (You might be surprised to know that even earlier, on December 4, 1619, a small group of English settlers at the Berkeley plantation in Virginia had a day of thanksgiving for their safe voyage across the dangerous ocean.)
Of course, English Catholics also came to this "new world" when they were forbidden to practice their faith. One third of the 300 colonists who landed at St. Clement’s Island on March 25, 1634 to establish the community of Maryland (named for the Mother of Jesus) were Catholics. A Jesuit priest, Fr. Andrew White, celebrated the Eucharist, (the supreme act of Thanksgiving) perhaps the first Mass in the colonies, in a community committed to religious freedom.
All of these early Christian celebrations almost certainly took much of their inspiration from the Jewish celebrations in the Old Testament. Pilgrims familiar with Scripture would have known the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. This mid-October (the 15th of Tishri) celebration is at the end of the harvest season, five days after the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). During these days faithful Jewish people to this day meditate on God’s saving power in their history, recalling their Exodus from slavery in Egypt, through the desert, escaping the Pharaoh’s chariots in the Red Sea and their deliverance in the Promised Land. They offer fresh wine and the fruit of the land in their sanctuaries, giving thanks to God for watching over them and for his promise to care for them as His chosen people. This theme is echoed in the special Thanksgiving Day Preface used in Masses in the United States. (While this Preface sadly does not reflect the experience of Africans who were not fleeing persecution but were being persecuted, brought to this country in chains and slavery, it does reflect the hope of all who long for freedom.)
"Once you chose a people and gave them a destiny
and, when you brought them out of bondage to freedom,
they carried with them the promise that all people would be blessed
and all could be free.
It happened to our fathers and mothers, who came to this land as if out of a desert into a place of promise and hope. It happens to us still, in our time,
As you lead all people through your Church to the blessed vision of peace."
Unfortunately, most people do not think about any of these things. Thanksgiving is just a "holiday." But we could think about them! As you and your family enjoy the turkey with all the trimmings on Thanksgiving Day, be sure to savor to the fullest birdsong, flowersmell, skycolor, and herbtaste. Remember that it is not ourselves that we are thanking. Nor is it science, technology, money or any other "god" of our own making. We are giving thanks to the God who is God. We are giving thanks to the God who has given us His Son, Jesus Christ who has given us Himself, His Body and Blood in that perfect act of Thanksgiving - The Eucharist!
The Second Vatican Council:
The Most Important Event of the Century?
By Bishop Edward K. Braxton
The revolution began exactly forty years ago! It would be almost twenty years before the Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles would be separated from Lafayette. President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Khrushchev were face to face in the Cuban missile crisis. The Civil Rights Movement in the person of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. confronted and rejected the racism that penetrated American society. Alan Shepard was the first American in space. The Berlin Wall was constructed. Gloria Steinem and others spearheaded a movement to liberate women from their traditional roles as wives and mothers that demanded the equal treatment of women and men. Scientists Drs. Crick and Wilkins won the Nobel Prize for unraveling the molecular structure of DNA. Marilyn Monroe, T.S. Eliot, Winston Churchill, Robert Frost, Clark Gable and Nat King Cole died. The War in Vietnam became an un-winnable tragedy that tore the nation apart.
There were civil disorders and riots in U.S. streets. Pope Paul VI pleaded at the United Nations, "No more war! Never again war!" James Baldwin’s controversial novel "Another Country" was a best seller. Robert Bolt’s brilliant play, "A Man for All Seasons" made the life of Sir Thomas More the talk of Broadway. Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize. "Lawrence of Arabia," "To Kill A Mockingbird," "Psycho," "Zorba the Greek," "Lord of the Flies," "My Fair Lady," "Dr. Zhivago," and "A Hard Day’s Night" were hit movies. Yasser Arafat took over the leadership of the Palestinian Al- Fatah movement. Malcolm X and John Kennedy were assassinated.
And the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council was celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Shortly after Pope John XXIII (now beatified) presided at the opening of the Council on October 11, 1962 in a breathtaking ceremony including 2,500 bishops from all over the world in solemn procession through St. Peter’s Square, Time magazine proclaimed him the "Man of the Year." The editors said that the long sharp eye of history may declare the Vatican Council to be the single most important event in the 20th century. This is saying a great deal when we think of the two World Wars, the Holocaust, the end of colonialism in Africa, the invention of the automobile, television and the personal computer (non-existent in 1962). Nevertheless, Time argued that the antiquity, vast size and worldwide structure and influence of the Catholic Church was such that if the Council were to bring about true reform and renewal in the Church, it might be the source of a spiritual revolution of staggering consequences. Furthermore, if it ever happened that the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, the Anglican Church and the Lutheran Church were to find the path that lead to a genuine Christian unity, that unity would surely trace its origins to the Second Vatican Council.
The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, as it is popularly called, was only the 21st Ecumenical Council in the history of the Church. These councils trace their origins back to the Acts of the Apostles and the Council of Jerusalem. The decisions of this Council were announced by Peter with the phrase, "We and the Holy Spirit have decided." Blessed John XXIII opened the first of the Four Sessions of the Council that began in 1962 and ended in 1965 with a prayer to that same Holy Spirit for "a new Pentecost in our time." The last Council before Vatican II was the First Vatican Council convened one hundred years earlier that was interrupted by war in Italy and is best remembered for its solemn teaching that the Holy Father is protected from error when he speaks officially on matters of faith and morals because of the charism of Infallibility.
John XXIII declared that he did not call the Council to condemn heresies. He taught that it is best to treat the wounds of error with "the medicine of mercy rather than severity." The Council was called to engage the modern world, to "open the windows," to bring the Church up to date by means of "aggiornamento," and renew the faith and spiritual lives of Catholic people by ressourcement, returning to the sources of scripture, tradition and liturgy in order to renew our deep personal and communal relationship with Christ. It is important for us to remind ourselves today that the Council brought about more changes in the Church than had taken place in the previous four hundred years!
For most Catholics, the most noticeable of the changes called for by the Council was the renewal of the liturgy. The Pope and Bishops made it clear that all Catholics should have a full, active and conscious participation in the Church’s life of prayer, especially the Mass. Even those who lived through the Council might find it difficult to remember how different our experience of prayer at Mass was when the priest had his back to the people, all the prayers and music were in Latin and the people were more observers than participants.
The transformation in the Church by the Council was much greater than allowing Catholics all over the world to pray in their native languages. The Council touched on every aspect of Catholic life by deepening our understanding of revelation, scripture, the missions, the apostolate of the laity, what it means to be the Church and calling for a renewal in the spiritual lives of bishops, priests, seminarians, sisters and all of the faithful.
One of the Council’s most important documents is the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. The document’s title is very important. Notice it is the Church IN the Modern World, not the Church AND the Modern World. This distinction is most significant. If we speak simply of the Church and the world it could imply that the Church exists in an absolutely unchanging state and its goal is to change the world but the world has no impact on the Church. Some Christians in the past (and in the present) have thought that the world around them was evil and thus the enemy of Jesus Christ. The Council Fathers want to be clear that the Church is IN the modern world and it is affected by that world.
This is why all Catholics are told to "read the signs of the times," learn what is going on around you and do what the events in the world call you to do as a faithful follower of Christ. It is because the Church is IN the modern world that the Council was able to take dramatic first steps down the road to Christian unity, attempt to heal past hostile relations with Judaism, initiate a true and humble conversation with followers of other religions as well as agnostics and atheists. It is because we are IN the world (and not at war with it) that we are confident that our Catholic preferential option for the poor, concern for the aspirations of women, defense of all human life, and desire to protect the environment can have a positive impact that will be of benefit to the entire human family. Though the Church is in the modern world, the Council's message transcends the world and leads us to God.
Some Catholic people who thought that the Vatican Council was a panacea that would transform the Church and the World overnight seem to have become cynical. They have even accused our present Holy Father, who participated in the Council, of attempting to undo the bold vision of the Council and return to the Church of the 1950’s. However, anyone who has followed the pontificate of John Paul II closely and read his writings knows of his deep commitment to the Council’s vision.
Other Catholic people who thought that the Vatican Council was simply a beautiful pageant which would have no lasting impact on the Church at all have also become cynical. They have even accused the bishops of the world of ruining the liturgy, abandoning ancient tradition and turning Catholicism into "just another" Protestant denomination. However, anyone who has followed the labors of bishops closely and studied the Documents of the Council knows well that the Council was a commitment to true reform and not mere cosmetic changes.
When the Council ended in 1965, many commentators wrote that it would take at least one hundred years for the church to begin to absorb and integrate the full vision of the Council. They also wrote that we should expect tensions and conflicts between so-called liberal and conservative groups in the Church each claiming to be faithful to "the spirit of Vatican II." However, the "spirit of Vatican II" is in the rich, deep and inspiring word of the Councils' decrees. Unfortunately, there are many Catholics who have never read one word of these historic documents. Have You? They are challenging reading but well worth the effort.
Meanwhile, when I hear comments such as, "If the Second Vatican Council was such a good thing for the Church why are there so many problems: fewer priests, fewer seminarians, fewer sisters, decline in Mass attendance, fewer people going to confession, Catholics leaving the Church, conflicts between bishops and theologians, rejection of Church teachings, and scandals of sexual misconduct by priests and bishops." I remind myself that the Church is not a museum, it is a living organism. Change does not always unfold in a harmonious way. What is more, the Church is only 2,000 years old. She may be destined to lead and serve for thousands of years in the future. History may view the challenges of the forty years since the Council as nothing more than a difficult "year" in the life of a young Church. Instead of worrying, I strive to serve Christ and His Church fully each day. When the day is over, I make my own the prayer of the great Pope John XXIII. "I’ve done the best I could in your service this day, Oh Lord. I’m going to bed. It’s your Church. Take care of it!"
Abortion and the Christian Conscience:
Thirty Years Since Roe v. Wade
By
Bishop Edward K. Braxton
Time magazine had a magnificent cover story the week of November 11, 2002, when the Catholics Bishops of the United States were meeting in Washington, DC. The article, "Inside the Womb: An Amazing Look At How We All Begin," was accompanied by remarkable photographs and computer generated images of embryonic human life from conception to the time of birth. The article describes the reaction of a husband and wife as they look at a wall video monitor. As a crystal probe slides across her midsection, the mother is wide-eyed in amazement. "She can make out a head with a mouth and two eyes. She can see pairs of arms and legs that end in tiny hands and feet. She can see the curve of a backbone, the bridge of a nose. And best of all, she can see movement. The mouth of her "child-to-be" yawns. Its feet kick. Its hands wave. They can hear the gush of blood through the umbilical cord and the fast thump, thump, thump of a miniature heart."
Nowhere in the amazing account is the four month and one week old in the womb referred to as anything other than a fetus. The closest the article comes to calling this fetal life human, not to mention a human being, is when it says that the mouth of the "child-to-be" yawns. (The quotation marks are mine). The author feels constrained not to say "The child yawns." Or even "The child-to-be yawns." No, it is simply a mouth that yawns. Had the author written, "The baby yawned." His editors might not have allowed it and, if they did, he might well have received angry letters saying his language implicitly supports an anti-abortion or a pro-life position which deprives a woman of her reproductive rights, her right to choose. However, if a woman seventeen weeks pregnant who wants her child had a miscarriage, she and her comforters would almost certainly say she lost her baby, not her fetus.
With the possible exception of race, no issue divides Americans into opposing camps and heated, sometimes violent arguments as readily as the issue of abortion. The same week that the Time article appeared, the American Bishops, issued the statement, "A Matter of the Heart: the Thirtieth Anniversary of Roe v. Wade." The media’s exclusive interest in our revised "Essential Norms" concerning priests who sexually abuse children largely obscured our statement.
In our statement we noted that every year on January 22nd, the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, many people pause to recognize the date in some way. Some speak out, some march, some reach out, some educate, some just reflect. Many pray.
Our efforts on behalf of the unborn will not cease. Our firm conviction as Catholics that life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception has been a part of the Church's constant witness since the Apostolic age and has inspired millions to defend human life from conception to natural death. Against the backdrop of a society in which many institutions of influence endorse legal abortion, the pro-life movement has grown year by year, in numbers and in vitality.
In the United States abortion is legal throughout pregnancy. Yet Catholics and many others believe that abortion is a violation of human rights incomparable in magnitude and an atrocity for the whole human family. While Roe v. Wade appeared to create a right with some limitations, Doe v. Bolton, which was decided the same day, erased those limitations by creating a "health" exception so broad that it effectively allows abortion for any reason at any time. The lack of any limits to legal abortion was never more clear than in the case of Stenberg v. Carhart in 2000, when the Supreme Court ruled that even the horrific partial-birth abortion procedure could not be restricted. Most Americans are surprised and shocked to learn about the lack of any meaningful legal limitations for abortion. Together with those from many other faith communities, Catholics must continue to work to bring about a society that recognizes abortion for what it truly is.
Many young people today comprehend the legacy of Roe. They look at thirty years of legal abortion and weep over the 40 million lives destroyed. They are aware that one in every four pregnancies ends in abortion, and they grieve for the world they will soon inherit. They mourn the fact that each year approximately 1.3 million abortions take place, and that thousands of them are done in the sixth month of pregnancy or later, when the child would likely survive if born.
Many who came of age at the time of Roe were hopeful about what it was said to promise: an end to poverty and abuse. Who would not hope for these things? But legal abortion promised what it could not give. It promised women a freedom to participate more fully in society. Many women have suffered physically, emotionally, and spiritually because of abortion; some have even lost their lives. Many men, too, mourn the loss of their children, while others carry the heavy burden of having persuaded their daughter, wife, or girlfriend to have an abortion.
Thirty years after Roe v. Wade, some may think that the pro-life movement's efforts have not accomplished much because Roe v. Wade still stands. But this is not true. Today, fewer abortions are being done each year and fewer doctors are involved in performing abortions. More Americans identify themselves as pro-life, while the numbers of those saying they are "pro-choice" have declined significantly. As the description in the article from Time makes clear, ultrasound and other medical advances have made possible a greater appreciation of the humanity of every unborn child. In these three decades thousands of pro-life groups, individual parishes, Catholic social service agencies and pregnancy resource centers have provided practical assistance and support to thousands of women facing difficult pregnancies. Most state legislatures have enacted measures to restrict or regulate the practice of abortion and reduce its incidence.
Among those who defend abortion, there are many who do so despite the pain abortion has brought into their lives, or even sometimes because of it. Many contemplating abortion believe they have no other choice. We listen to them, we understand their sense of isolation and despair. We must strive to know their hearts.
On this thirtieth anniversary the American Bishops renew our offer of assistance to anyone considering abortion. We will try to help those who feel overwhelmed by the decisions they face, those who cannot afford medical care, and those who are homeless or feel helpless. Inspired by the word and example of Jesus Christ, I call upon the Catholic people of Southwest Louisiana to reach out to those contemplating abortion and those who have had abortions with compassion and without condemnation.
Through Project Rachel and other ministries, the Catholic Church continues to help those whose hearts have been broken by abortion. Those who resort to abortion out of a sense of desperation often find the cruel reality of abortion too difficult to bear. But it is too difficult only in a world without God and therefore without hope.
We, too, must not abandon hope. The extraordinary photographs in the Time article make it obvious to many Americans that it is not simply a mouth that yawns. It is a developing human being that yawns. This is why we must continue to work, hope and pray, for the day when all Americans will accept this reality and respect the right of that developing human being to life. Certainly we Catholics whose consciences have been formed in the light of the Gospel of Life must do all we can to respect and protect fragile and developing human life in the womb.
As Pope John Paul II has written, "it is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop" (The Gospel of Life, no. 101).