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HOME SCHOOLERS AND PASTORS . . . With the vast increase in the number of children being schooled at home, a problem has arisen in many parishes regarding the children’s admittance to First Holy Communion. Some pastors insist that the children must take part in the parish formation program and often the parents are opposed to this. In this issue Fr. Joseph C. Taphorn addresses this problem on three levels—doctrinal, pastoral and canonical. He shows that the parents have the primary right in the education of their children, but also that the pastor has the duty to make sure that the children are properly prepared (p. 8).
PRIEST, PARISH AND MONEY . . . It is one thing to know how to balance a personal checkbook; it is something else to know how to manage parish finances, which can run from a hundred thousand dollars per year to several million. Since financial management is not a big item in seminaries, often young pastors find themselves in a quandary about finances. In this issue, Fr. Jerry J. Pokorsky, who has been a priest for ten years and is now a pastor, offers some practical suggestions for young pastors on how to manage and control parish finances and stay out of trouble with the bank, the diocese and Uncle Sam (p. 17).
LOOKING WITH LUST AT A WOMAN . . . Jesus said in Matt. 5:28 that a man who does that “has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” But what precisely is meant by looking at a woman with lust? Is every look at a member of the opposite sex (since this applies to women too) an act of lust and therefore sinful? This is a difficult question, and years ago Jimmy Carter got in trouble when he revealed some of his inner thoughts in a popular magazine. This month Mr. Tony Montanaro analyzes this problem and shows that there is a big difference between lustful looks that are sinful and looks that appreciate the goodness and beauty of a woman without being sinful (p. 23).
THE VOICE OF GOD . . . Our culture is shot through with many fundamental errors about the nature of conscience, such as “if it feels good, do it!” Conscience is not a feeling; it is a judgment of the mind which applies general moral principles to specific acts here and now. Because of the power of the media in our world, it is essential that Catholic parents learn how to instill a Catholic conscience in their children. In order to help them in this important and difficult task, Dr. Mark S. Latkovic spells out in some detail the basic principles about how to form a truly Catholic conscience (p. 29).--K.B.
Back to Homiletic & Pastoral Review Table of Contents August-September 2000