Weaving the seamless garment

The last issue of The Catholic Spirit contained a number of articles on the pro-life issue of anti-abortion (“Leading the pro-life generation” and “45 years after Roe v. Wade, MCCL ties march to 2018 election,” Jan. 11). It was noted in one article that attention will be given to the candidates seeking office in the 2018 elections. It is my prayer that leaders in the Catholic Church and all Catholics take the urging of Pope Francis and consider the many pro-life issues proposed by each candidate and not just one issue. Pro-life issues include anti-abortion but also the death penalty and incarceration, health care for all citizens, gun violence, the opioid crisis, defense spending that kills innocent women and children around the world, and many more. As the late Cardinal Bernardin noted, pro-life is a seamless garment that encompasses issues from the womb to death and is not just one issue.

Mariah Snyder
Lumen Christi, St. Paul

Appreciated call to action

In eloquent words and piercing thought, Father Lachowitzer frames the spiritual dilemma and national disgrace that perpetuates collective and individual racism in the country (“Hopeless to hopeful,” Jan. 11). He addresses the soul of our Catholic faith and the integrity of our national purpose when he decries the racism and social injustice that deny citizen rights and full participation in national prosperity. The sins of racism continue to plague our national culture and call into question our commitment to the constitutional guarantees afforded to all citizens. A society that is unequal is also always unjust and results in the type of spiritual malaise and cultural angst that infects the country. Father Lachowitzer’s exhortation of hope, based on the teachings of Christ, invokes a call for action and the need for each parish to examine its outward commitment to active discipleship. To reference Archbishop Flynn, only when we actively oppose racism can “we walk humbly with our God.”

Ted May
St. Maximilian Kolbe, Delano

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