The following letters to the editor appear in the edition of August 14, 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.

Worthy Sanctuary

I read with sadness the letter from a Stafford reader protesting that the $200 million spent to build the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in Los Angeles should have been used to aid the "needy, sick and destitute people of our world" (ACH 8/7/03). The reader questioned why Church leaders are impressed with "gaudy monuments to Catholicism, while so many of the needy continue to suffer."

In reflecting on these sentiments, I was reminded of the woman at Bethany who poured an alabaster jar of expensive perfumed oil over Jesus’ head while he was reclining at table. Some of those who witnessed her generous act of love complained that the oil "could have been sold for more than three silver pieces and the money given to the poor." Jesus’ powerful response is as timely today as it was then: "The poor you will always have with you and you can be generous to them whenever you wish, but you will not always have me… I assure you, wherever the good news is proclaimed throughout the world, what she has done will be told in her memory." (Mark 14:7,9 New American Bible).

God always has called His people to provide suitable places of worship where the faithful can properly honor and adore Him. Eight chapters of the Book of Exodus (chapters 24-31) describe in detail the requirements for God’s sanctuary in the desert, an elaborate structure for which God Himself provided the specifications. Once the sanctuary was complete, God displayed his pleasure when "the cloud covered the meeting tent, and the glory of the Lord filled the dwelling."

The Book of Kings (1 Kings 5-7) depicts the extravagant building of the temple in Jerusalem — clearly and ornate edifice. At its dedication, God again showed his approval when "the cloud filled the temple of the Lord so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud, since the Lord’s glory had filled the temple of the Lord."

Jesus no longer walks among us as He did at Bethany 2000 years ago, nor does the "glory of the Lord" exist visibly in a cloud within our churches. But the Holy Eucharist — Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity — resides in the sanctuaries of all Catholic churches throughout the world. We must provide sanctuaries that honor and glorify His Real Presence among us. Indeed, ancient churches that exist in Rome to this day are testimony that early Christians spared no expense in Building sanctuaries worthy of Jesus’ Real Presence. We must endeavor to do likewise.

Mary Lee Ruby
Fairfax

A Dab of Vulgarity

I just returned from seeing the movie "Seabiscuit." It was a great movie with a powerful story line emphasizing the virtue of perseverance.

However, Hollywood could not resist sprinkling the production with a touch of nudity here and a dab of vulgarity there. Worse yet, the hero occasionally found it necessary to use the name of the Lord Jesus not in a spirit of prayer, but in vain.

How sad, the perfect family movie, tainted by the Hollywood scriptwriters. It’s like going to the Kennedy Center to enjoy a Schubert symphony only to have it periodically interrupted with cacophonous rap.

Joseph Evers
McLean

Northern Ireland Conflict

Edward Grant's letter to the editor (ACH 07/31) pertaining to my article on Northern Ireland articulately expresses what he believes to be two major flaws inherent in that article: first, the "backward-looking focus" of the article; and second, my failure to mention the IRA. Considering the way the American media usually covers events in that unhappy part of the world, Mr. Grant's disappointment in my article is understandable.

I presented an extremely unorthodox view of the sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland because my study and research into this issue suggests that Sinn Fein and the IRA — instead of being major causes of the sectarian conflict over there — are simply symptoms of a problem that has its roots in British and Irish history, a history that the British government has only recently begun to come to grips with. Despite the Good Friday Agreement, the power structure in Northern Ireland still operates as if it simply doesn't know how to deal with a lunatic fringe (the "Protestant extremists" I mentioned in the article) who don't want the Agreement to succeed because they don't want to share power with Catholics. They want everything to stay as it was, and they take whatever steps are necessary to achieve that goal while the powers that be stand on their thumbs.

Could you imagine black school girls in this country being abused on their way to school every day for twelve straight weeks by white supremacists while local police stood between them and the mob that was accosting them? Of course not. The mob would have been dispersed, its leaders arrested. But in Northern Ireland the abuse, organized by the Ulster Volunteer Force (the UVF, an extremist Protestant paramilitary group that's been around longer than the IRA), lasted for as long as they wanted it to last. As Mr. Grant points out, things have improved in Northern Ireland — but not that much.

Ken Concannon
Manassas

Would Jesus Be Appointed to High Court?

I would like to respond to Mary Rouleau's opinion (ACH 07/31/03) regarding the advertising campaign against the Democratic filibuster's of President Bush's judicial nominees.

In my recollection, the democratic leadership has tried to block the nominations of Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, John Ashcroft, Charles Pickering, Priscilla Owen, Miguel Estrada and Bill Pryor. Exteriorly, this group of individuals is rather diverse. They have been accused of everything from racism to supporting big business. Estrada has been filibustered at least five times because certain private memos he has written regarding his personal opinions will not be submitted for testimony. Would it be lawful for an employer in the private sector to judge an employee’s suitability for a job based upon his personal political views? Of all the arguments raised against these nominees, there is one issue that they share in common — they are all publicly pro life.

Is it a requirement that a federal judge agree personally with every decision or law on record? If so, then it would have been wrong to work for the end of slavery as an institution, since it had been written into law in our Constitution at the beginning. It certainly appears that the Democratic Party has a litmus test, and anyone who disagrees privately with Roe vs. Wade has no place in public service. The Democratic National Committee will not even permit a link to a “democratforlife” Web site on their official party Web site. The so-called party of inclusion and tolerance seems to tolerate every kind of behavior, lifestyle or opinion except for those that assert the existence of a natural law which sets a standard of morality that is binding on all mankind. And this 'opinion' at all costs must be kept out of public life.

Now to address Rouleau's comments about the recent ad campaign that touts "Catholics need not apply for judicial positions." Her position is correct in one sense that there are Catholic politicians on the judiciary committee. But any Catholic who would strive to follow the exhortations of the Holy Father, who has told our country to stop legalized abortion and prohibit homosexual marriages, need not apply according to at least 41 democratic senators. I would ask one further question. Would Jesus Christ, the judge and ruler of the universe be permitted by these democrats to serve on our Supreme Court?

Edward Wassell
Falls Church

Christians Need Not Apply

Mary Rouleau (ACH 7/31) claims she has never seen any evidence of "Catholics need not apply" in the Senate judicial nominating process. I suppose if you look at her examples of Catholics in the senate, the "three ranking Democrats on the Judiciary Committee," namely Senators Leahy, Kennedy and Biden then, yes, I suppose you never would see any example of a Catholic being persecuted for practicing their faith.

These fellows, along with a good number of their "Catholic" cohorts in congress consistently support legislation that is direct violation of the Natural Law of Almighty God and the teachings of the Catholic Church. As stated in “Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life": “a well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals.” This flies in the face that tired argument "I'm personally against it, but my constituents want me to vote in such a way..."

As to the question of whether William Pryor's nomination is being persecuted by these so-called "Catholic" legislators because he practices his Catholic faith and has spoken publicly about the laws in our country that contradict the Natural Law or because they want to further investigate his answers when questioned bythe Judiciary Committee, I can’t tell you what is in the hearts of these senators and neither can Mary Rouleau. But one look at the fact that nominees William Pryor, Leon Holmes, Carolyn Kuhl, Bob Conrad, all faithful Catholics in union with the teaching of the Church as demonstrated by their public speaking and writing, Charles Pickering a former president of the Mississippi Southern Baptist Convention, and Priscilla Owen an Episcopalian Sunday school teacher who have both publicly denounced abortion and are all facing staunch resistance to a simple up or down vote on the Senate floor for their confirmations seems to imply that perhaps “Catholics need not apply” is indeed a little far from the truth. The sign should read “Christians need not apply.”

Jeff Hunter
Centreville

Encouraging Signs

Let me tell you about a heart-warming story from liberal Vermont. In a trip through the New England states this summer, I visited a small-town church in Shelburne, Vt. There, the pastor was always in clericals. He was restoring the sanctuary that had been ruined by a "wreckavator." Before the weekly morning Mass, he led the congregation in praying part of the Divine Office. At each Mass he gave a homily of substance. And in the early evening, he led a daily Holy Hour before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. This small church is a bulwark of reparation for the many scandals taking place in the Church Jesus founded and preserved in truth.

Anthony Lutz
Arlington

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