Last night's Pro-Life Mass

I attended a monthly "pro-life" Mass last night as I usually try to do every month.

I took about 25 of the booklets "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics" with me as well as the Archdiocesan Pro-Life Committee Letter which states that Archbishop Burke has read and approved the booklet for use in all the parishes. I spoke with one of the women on the parish Pro-Life committee who helps in preparation for the Pro-Life Mass about the "Voter's Guide" and was informed that our pastor wants nothing to do with the "Voter's Guide" but intends to use the USCCB's long and confusing "Faithful Citizenship" for the parishioners.

I can understand why. The "Voter's Guide" is short and to the point. It lists five non-negotiable, disqualifying issues(*) that would preclude one (a serious and faithful Catholic) from voting for a specific candidate.

As for "Faithful Citizenship", on May 10th, forty-eight Catholic Democratic Congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, DC arguing that bishops should not deny communion to pro-abortion politicians. The politicians twice cited the American Bishops' statement to bolster and justify their positions, while concealing the fact that this same document states that abortion can never be morally permissible.

Many Catholics will use this document to justify positions which cannot be reconciled with the teaching of the Church precisely because the document allows such justifications to be made - when it is not read and studied with clarity of mind and with knowledge of the Church's teachings.

Anyway, there will be several different people seeking permission to, at least, get these "Voter's Guides" in the vestible (oops, "gathering space") of the church. If permission is not forthcoming, then a letter noting such refusal will be sent to the Archbishop.

Anyway, to further confuse Catholics, the associate pastor, in his homily, said some very good things but, unfortunately, stated some erroneous things as well.

When he started, I thought we might be in for the first decent homily I have heard from him since he's been here (2 or 3 years, I think). He started by stating that abortion is condemned by the Church and it always has been viewed as intrinsically evil. He proceded to discuss this and euthanasia and the uproar recently over Archbishop Burke's comments, noting that the Archbishop's comments are perfectly in line with the teaching of the Church....(Great!, I thought.)

But then, he proceded to equivocate on "judging others" and how there is a disparity of opinion on whether to allow public sinners and those who vote for them to receive Holy Communion. Then he mentioned Cardinals Mahony and McCarrick and I, sitting in the front pew right in front of him, shook my head in disgust.

He seemed somewhat obsessed with the "judging" aspect, failing to understand what the Holy Father, Cardinals Arinze and Ratzinger, and Archbishop Burke have been saying with respect to "manifest, grave sin".

He also stated that we should be totally "pro-life", that is opposed to capital punishment and war, etc., with which some may agree but these are not things which are intrinsically evil. It is the same obfuscation of the hierachy of life issues which Cardinal Ratzinger discussed in his recently released memo.

Anyway, I faxed him Cardinal Ratzinger's memo this morning and gave him a copy of the "Voter's Guide" after Mass. I did not have an opportunity to talk with him this time, but hopefully will later on.

I must have handed out maybe 10 of the "Voter's guides" in total - everyone with whom I came in contact wanted one. Perhaps this is a good sign and maybe the Holy Spirit will prevail in helping to people to change their hearts and minds toward the truth.

* Abortion, Euthanasia, Fetal Stem Cell Research, Human Cloning, "Same-Sex" Unions