The following letters to the editor appear in the edition of July 3, 2003. Letters appearing in this space do not necessarily reflect the views of the Arlington Catholic Herald or the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. The editor reserves the right to edit letters as necessary. There is no guarantee of publication. Send letters to: letters@catholicherald.com.

Work Camp Experience

I had the most incredible opportunity this past week to serve as an adult chaperone at the Diocesan WorkCamp in Montrose, Virginia. This WorkCamp experience allowed me to see Christ in the hundreds of volunteers and, most especially, in the 200-plus teens who worked on roofs in 100 degree heat, who dug deep holes for wheelchair ramps and who mixed cement for posts — a daunting task for the most fit adults.

Christ was present in the nurses who made sure everyone was protected from dehydration. Christ was in the young adults who served in the cafeteria of the middle school. Christ was in the contractors who donated their professional services for the projects that were so desperately needed. Christ was in the musicians at Mass, the security in the halls and in the parish youth ministers.

Parents throughout the diocese should be assured that all types of protections were made so teens had a safe working environment, from the completely separate male and female wings (not easy with 200 teens) to the miraculous organizational efforts that were shown in central command headquarters. Yes, it was almost a war center but a war center for social justice.

The media rarely presents teens in a positive light, but this must be known. There are 200 teens in the Arlington Diocese who love their families, their faith and each other. They had the courage, spirit and enthusiasm to serve the poor in countless ways through grace. Many of the teens taught the adults and residents how to love with compassion. They literally brought the good news of the Gospel to people in need.

Thank you to Bishop Loverde who made this WorkCamp possible with his permission, with his prayers and with his presence for the celebration of the Eucharist.

Mary Beth Burke
Ashburn

Gospels Are Authentic

Sal Ciresi asserts the credibility of the Gospels as foundational to our one, true Faith. I couldn’t agree more. The substance behind the assertion rests in three stated criteria, namely authenticity, integrity and reliability. Again, I could not agree more. There is much historical literature to evidence the three criteria; so, I don’t quibble with the conclusion.

Instead, here is my quibble: Of the three criteria, only one is argued for, and, unfortunately, even this one is not argued for particularly well. The argument presented by Ciresi is that the Four Gospels were written by four well known specific human persons, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Whereas the true author of the Four Gospels is not really disputed (the Holy Spirit), the identity of the human authors of most of the New Testament is open to significant dispute as a matter of history.

Other than certain Pauline works and Luke’s two works, the authorship of just about everything else in the New Testament is disputed by historians and scholars. As just one point to consider: Mark and John’s Gospels both appear to have two different endings, suggesting that a more than human author contributed to the text.

The bottom line, though, is that the Four Gospels are indeed authentic, integral and reliable, independent of who the authors might have been. Indeed, the reliability of the texts of the New Testament is within parallel from any other text that date from the Classical Period.

Patrick Rhoads
Alexandria

Editor's Note: Part 2 of Ciresi's discussion about the authenticity of the Gospels appears in the July 3 edition of the Herald.

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