June 30, 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
For a long time now, I have felt that we have entered a
post-Christian era in the history of western civilization. There is almost an
embarrassment about being a Christian and a denial of the roots that
Christianity has provided in the development of our society. In the European
society, the Euro community refused to acknowledge the historical significance
of Christianity in the development of European society. The pope made an
impassioned plea for that recognition, but it fell on deaf ears. Now we have a
European community that is clinging to its roots, as it is slowly being
destroyed by its own hubris.
Here in the United States, we are apparently a European “wannabe.” We have been
slowly disavowing ourselves of any connection to religion and separating ourselves
from any symbols which may be offensive, though they have been in existence for
decades.
Part of it can be attributed to the tyranny of the minority -- one person is
offended by a statue or a picture reflecting some religious symbolism and off
we go to an activist court for social reconstruction -- the sensitivity of the
one is imposed on the many.
Oh! But we have separation of Church and state, they say (actually only by
judicial edict). There was no separation of Church and state when the parochial
schools were educating the masses because government lacked the capacity to do
so. There was no separation when the religious hospitals were providing care in
areas the government could not or would not. Nor when religious charities
were providing for the homeless long before state welfare organizations were
instituted.
Separation seems to be a concept of when we need you it’s “okay, please
participate” and when we don’t “get out of our political way because we don’t
need to be tainted by your religious zeal.” Religion is treated like the
intellectually challenged adult that, in less enlightened times, would be kept
separate from the family for fear of embarrassment and from the social elite
who might think less of them.
As Catholics, we have weathered the governmental and societal bashing that has
taken place for 2,000 years. We survived the Roman Empire, the monarchies, the
“isms,” of Nazism, communism and self-proclaimed “rationalists.” And we will
survive the rejection of our own society and its continued attempt to muffle
our voice and isolate us from the decision-making table. We will pay a price.
But, we will not do so without preaching and teaching the truth.
The recent decision of the Supreme Court legalizing same sex marriage is sad,
because it once again takes upon itself the redefinition of the word. This time
it’s “marriage.” The definitions of words seem to not matter to the court. The
simple truth is that marriage is between a man and a woman. Why? Because from
the dawn of civilization men and women were joined together to perpetuate our
species. Marriage constitutes a family where individuals are raised, given an
identity and form the basic building block of our society.
In our brave new world, we can generate human beings in a test tube -- no one
need know who the father is. A surrogate can be used, as would an incubator, in
order to fulfill the desire for a child by two males. The terms mother and
father are now subject to redefinition. Perhaps it will take a village to raise
the children, especially if they will not have identifiable role models. But,
we have permitted same sex individuals to claim marriage as a right at the cost
of family deconstruction and role model redefinition.
I haven’t even broached the subject that God ordained marriage. From the
beginning he created them, males and females were told to go forth and
multiply. The Church has established marriage as a sacrament and it is evident
in its teachings how essential the understanding of marriage between a man and
a woman is to the faith.
I know that you have often heard the term “cafeteria” Catholic. This is a
Catholic that picks and chooses what is convenient in the teachings and ignores
the rest. The Supreme Court decision was made by a court composed of six
Catholics, with the majority opinion rendered by Catholic judge, Justice
Anthony Kennedy (supported by another Catholic, Justice Sonia Sotomayor).
Perhaps, he remembered another Kennedy claiming that he would not be guided by
the pope or the teachings of the Church once he is elected president. The four
dissenters were Catholic with an excellent dissenting opinion rendered by
Justice Antonin Scalia (concurring Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Thomas and
Justice Alito).
This was not the first time that a terrible decision was
influenced or rendered by a Catholic on the Supreme Court. Chief Justice
Tawney in the Dred Scott decision actually inferred that a slave, a man, a
human being, was just a piece of chattel and must be returned to the owner.
This decision was the seed of Civil War and the decision of the court to define
a man as property. And Justice Brennan, the only Catholic on the high court,
influenced the Court in the Roe v Wade decision, voting with the majority. This
decision denied any rights to the child in the womb which has led to the
destruction of more than 50 million lives since 1973 (read “The Brethren:
Inside the Supreme Court” by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong).
We will not be assuaged from what the Church teaches and I believe it calls for
even greater courage in the face of this rejection of truth. Ever the social
critic, Cardinal Francis George may be right when he said that he will die in
his bed, his successor will die in jail and the one who follows his successor
will die a martyr in the public square. He envisioned the social upheaval in
our society as a mounting persecution of the Church. I will willingly wear the
orange jumpsuit, if it means standing up for the truth and the Catholic faith.
I guess one doesn’t have to worry whether or not any Catholic judge or Catholic
elected official would be compelled to follow the teachings of his or her
faith. Unfortunately for some, it’s just a window dressing that can change with
the seasons (political pressure, popular opinions and the polls). That’s a sad
commentary on the effect of faith because so much truth and goodness (dignity
of the human being) is found in the richness of a faith that mandates us to
LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
