LETTERS

We Can Work It Out

I recently received my first issue of The Catholic Faith magazine (September/October 1995). I am delighted with it.

There was one very small point, however, that I wanted to take issue with, in the otherwise excellent article "The Scandal and Calumnies of 'Priest' and Other Such Fiction."

In her article, Mary Claire Kendall states: "The apple of licentious sex which people, by within and without the Church, sought to pluck from the tree of good and evil in the 1960's was provided by the likes of the rock-and-roll group The Beatles, who were four brash boys from, appropriately enough, Liverpool, England. The sexual revolution which these Liverpoolians were instrumental in effecting seemed all the more attractive and attainable by new technologies..."

While The Beatles certainly cannot be identified as angelic cherubs in the sexual arena, there were other popular groups of the era, e.g., The Rolling Stones, that would be more appropriate as examples of those who plucked "the apple of licentious sex."

The fact that the movie "Priest" and The Beatles both have roots in Liverpool is not a coincidence worth mentioning, but perhaps this coincidence is what made Mary Claire choose The Beatles in the first place.

Finally, it may interest Mary Claire to know that I had the unusual opportunity of meeting Paul McCartney in 1984 and speaking with him somewhat privately for the better part of a half-an-hour. He was not brash and was very helpful, even to the point of assisting me with packages. Since I suspected that I would be meeting him, I came prepared with a Scapular Medal and a copy of Father Hardon's book Theology of Prayer. Paul received both as a gift from me. He mentioned our meeting the next day during an interview with Roger Ebert and said something to the effect of having a nice time. Whether that means he appreciated receiving those gifts or not, I don't know.

Again, I'm not defending The Beatles. I just thought that Mary Claire's excellent article would have been stronger if she had given examples more correct and convincing. I'd also like to say that her description of Father Derek Goerg's Mass was incredibly moving. God bless him!

-Victoria E. Vining

Westmont, Illinois

Mary Claire Kendall responds:

Victoria Vining is obviously as big a fan of the Beatles as I am. But my affinity for the Beatles' artistic talent does not blind me to the fact that they played a key role in the sexual revolution. The well-known photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono shown from behind in the buff sums it up best. I am pleased to hear that Paul McCartney was such a gentleman when Victoria Vining saw him in 1984 and was so receptive to her message. This is a hopeful sign that the indulgences of the sixties have left in their wake a yearning for things of a more permanent nature.

Mary's Fiat

Thank you for Mark Lowery's worthy study of Tradition (The Catholic Faith, Nov./Dec. 1995). In his pursuit of Mary's standing as "the woman" of Genesis 3:15, however, he finds himself saying that Mary was "tempted to deny her call to be Mother of God" (p.9). No objection to the claim that Mary might be tempted. If Christ could be tempted, Mary could be tempted. Mere rejection of Gabriel's message, however, is surely gratuitous to begin with, and makes Mary's express objection, "How shall this be done, for I know not man?" pointless.

The only way the dialogue between Gabriel and Mary avoids collapsing into a parliament of fools is for Mary to be saying, "Your message is that I am going to have a child. But I already know that it is God's will for me to remain a virgin (which implies a prior agreement between her and Joseph, which implies a great deal about God's work in Joseph's life even at this point). How can what you are saying be squared with what I already know to be God's will for me?"

A perfectly reasonable question perfectly met by Gabriel's response. To which Mary's response establishes her as "the woman" of Genesis 3:15.

Typical of the genius of Scripture to say so much in so few words.

-Joseph Thompson

Toronto, Ontario

Dr. Lowery Responds:

I appreciate Mr. Thompson's response, which readers ought to take as a fine addition to the points in my article. What he adds is in fact compatible with my own claim. Mary knew God's will about her perpetual virginity; she then learned God's will about becoming the Mother of God, and how this additional plan was compatible with her virginity. It is reasonable to hold that throughout this whole educative process Mary was tempted not to do what she knew to be God's will. She was not tempted as we concupiscent sons of Adam are, who experience an inner tendency to misuse our freedom, but she was tempted as Eve was: without the concupiscent tendency, the sheer inexplicable refusal of God's will, the mystery of iniquity. Mary's fiat indicates that, cooperating with grace, she reversed what Eve had done, and hence, as Mr. Thompson notes, is the woman of Genesis 3:15 (read in the deeper sense) whose mediatorship allows the devil to be conquered. Aware of how God's will was to be carried out, she overcame any semblance of temptation not to align herself with that will.

Harmful Aggressors

In the November/December issue of The Catholic Faith in the section Questions and Answers, you (Father Hardon) pointed out in part that the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "Preserving the common good of society requires rendering the aggressor unable to inflict harm." Are not the dissident, faith-altering and destroying contemporary "Catholic" prelates aggressors inflicting harm on the faithful society, and is it not, therefore, the duty of the supreme authority of the Church to render them harmless "by means of penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime" - or do the teachings of the Catechism not apply to the clergy, the hierarchy and the Vatican?

-Joseph A. Woltering

Hamilton, Ohio

Unqualified Support

I am very pleased with The Catholic Faith magazine. Finally, a catechetical publication that is entirely sound from a doctrinal viewpoint! So much that passes for catechesis these days is not authentically Catholic. It is delightful that I can recommend The Catholic Faith magazine without qualification to my friends and others interested in catechesis and evangelization. Father Hardon is to be commended for yet another courageous effort to spread the gospel of Christ as taught by the Catholic Church.

I don't want to leave out praise for any article, but thank you especially for the regular book review feature. It is so important to have access to quality catechetical materials and resources. By reviewing books, you provide an invaluable service to people. Many of us don't have the time to read as widely as we might like and we don't want to waste what little reading time we have reading the wrong things. The reviews help guide us in this respect.

-Janet Getty
San Jose, California

First-class

I think The Catholic Faith is a wonderful magazine - I've enjoyed every issue. It is very helpful in the effort to present the Catholic faith to Catholic people and to the world. The magazine deserves the widest possible circulation; it should be in every Catholic home. I especially like your cover art. Truly a first-class catechetical publication.

-Charles Harvey
San Diego, California

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I read many Catholic publications and yours is one of the best. Glad to see you are trying to realize Pope John Paul II's dream as expressed in Catechesi Tradendae: a renewed catechesis, faithful to the Church's teaching and appropriately "formatted" for our age.

- Barbara Gordon
Yuma, Arizona

Thanks

Thank you for the magazine The Catholic Faith. It has been helpful to me personally and in teaching my C.C.D. classes.

-Margaret Gilbehaser

Houston, Texas