Sunday Meditation: The Call to Be Missionaries to a Neo-Pagan Culture

One of my readers posted a comment on my last article linking to a wonderful blog with an amazing homily by the pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville, SC, Fr. Jay Scott Newman. (Thanks, Alan!) Father makes the point that, rather than bewailing the collapse of the culture, we should welcome it as an opportunity. An honest view of the culture makes it clear that it is more neo-pagan with a Christian veneer. But the "victory" of the sexual revolution exhibited by the recent enshrinement of same-sex "marriage" by the Supreme Court offers tremendous evangelical possibilities. Here are a few of the points Father makes:

[T]he legal dispute over same sex marriage in the United States has now been decided, and in that contest the traditional Christian understanding of marriage lost. What you may be surprised to learn is that I welcome this defeat, and I want to explain why...

Bishop Gracida reacts to Fr. Newman's letter with "admiration and awe"

A number of Church leaders have chimed in on the action taken by Fr. Jay Scott Newman in warning his parishioners of the spiritual danger of voting for pro-abortion politiicans. LifeSiteNews reports on reactions including this one from retired bishop of Corpus Christi, Rene Gracida.

"Bishop Emeritus Rene Henry Gracida of Corpus Christi, TX, told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) his reaction to Fr. Newman's letter 'is one of admiration and awe. I find nothing in what he has written that is at variance with the Magisterium of the Church. He is to be congratulated.'"

Thank you, Bishop Gracida. Let us pray for all those priests with the courage to speak the truth in love to save the flock from destruction for "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul in the process."

Listen to another good priest, Fr. Paul Weinberger, preach on abortion and pro-abortion politicians.

Fr. Newman's Letter to His Parishioners

Father Newman's letter has been removed from the St. Mary's website. We print it in full here. That this charitable letter which is in complete agreement with Catholic doctrine has brought criticism and retribution to this good priest is disgraceful!

9 November 2008
Dear Friends in Christ,

We the People have spoken, and the 44th President of the United States will be Barack Hussein Obama. This election ends a political process that started two years ago and which has revealed deep and bitter divisions within the United States and also within the Catholic Church in the United States. This division is sometimes called a “Culture War,” by which is meant a heated clash between two radically different and incompatible conceptions of how we should order our common life together, the public life that constitutes civil society. And the chief battleground in this culture war for the past 30 years has been abortion, which one side regards as a murderous abomination that cries out to Heaven for vengeance and the other side regards as a fundamental human right that must be protected in laws enforced by the authority of the state. Between these two visions of the use of lethal violence against the unborn there can be no negotiation or conciliation, and now our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president. We must also take note of the fact that this election was effectively decided by the votes of self-described (but not practicing) Catholics, the majority of whom cast their ballots for President-elect Obama.

In response to this, I am obliged by my duty as your shepherd to make two observations:

1. Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exits constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ’s Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation.

2. Barack Obama, although we must always and everywhere disagree with him over abortion, has been duly elected the next President of the United States, and after he takes the Oath of Office next January 20th, he will hold legitimate authority in this nation. For this reason, we are obliged by Scriptural precept to pray for him and to cooperate with him whenever conscience does not bind us otherwise. Let us hope and pray that the responsibilities of the presidency and the grace of God will awaken in the conscience of this extraordinarily gifted man an awareness that the unholy slaughter of children in this nation is the greatest threat to the peace and security of the United States and constitutes a clear and present danger to the common good. In the time of President Obama’s service to our country, let us pray for him in the words of a prayer found in the Roman Missal:

God our Father, all earthly powers must serve you. Help our President-elect, Barack Obama, to fulfill his responsibilities worthily and well. By honoring and striving to please you at all times, may he secure peace and freedom for the people entrusted to him. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Has Father Newman Been Silenced?

Sad to say, the original positive statements of support coming out of the Diocese of Charleston, S.C. are now being repudiated by the Administrator. Msgr Martin T. Laughlin.

To recap from my original post, Fr. Newman addressed a letter to his parishioners on the parish website, which was distributed the following Sunday, calling on those who voted for Barack Obama to voluntarily refrain from Communion until going to confession. He did not deny anyone Communion, but admonished those who committed a grave sin by supporting a pro-abortion candidate, an entirely appropriate thing for a pastor to do. Many bishops during the presidential campaign said exactly the same thing!See an article that gives a good rundown of what happened.

Well, it appears the diocese has reconsidered its position and is now repudiating Fr. Newman's actions. The Administrator has posted a video and PDF file on the diocesan website that imply Fr. Newman's statements were a violation of personal freedom. Quoting from the catechism and stating that the pulpit is for preaching the word of God, Msgr. Laughlin accuses father of partisan activity. So now warning your parishioners that they must have an informed conscience and act according to God's law and not man's is partisan. The message is presented in a confusing way that I think could easily lead one to the view that personal conscience always trumps God's law. This is the same confusion that has led 90% of Catholics to reject Church teaching on birth control, the sanctity of marriage, and other key doctrines. Frankly, I wonder if the diocese is acting more out of fear of the IRS than fear of the Lord.

Local Catholics in Charleston who are organizing a prayer vigil during Masses this weekend are calling for support for Fr. Newman whom they say has been "rebuked and silenced". If this is true, it's a shameful outcome for this courageous priest. Please call the Chancery next week and ask for the status on Fr. Newman. Send letters of support to the Diocese asking that they go into his personnel file. A personal letter of support to Fr. Newman would also be appropriate. And please pray. When Jesus said he came to divide families, he also meant the family of the Church. My Jesus, have mercy on our poor Church.


Send a copy of diocesan correspondence to:
Apostolic Nuncio
Most Rev. Pietro Sambi
3339 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008

Rev. Msgr. Martin T. Laughlin, P.A, Administrator
Diocese of Charleston Chancery
119 Broad Street
P.O. Box 818
Charleston, SC 29402
Phone: (843) 853-2130
Fax: (843) 724-6387
mlaughlin@catholic-doc.org

Refrain from Communion Priest Tells Obama Voters

LifeNews.com has posted an article about a South Carolina priest, Fr. Jay Scott Newman, who has warned his congregation not to receive Communion if they voted for Barrack Obama until they repent and do penance.

The article reads in part:
Newman told the Greenville News on Wednesday that he will continue preaching on the "intrinsic and grave evil of abortion" and called Obama and Joe Biden's abortion support a "divisive issue" with a "moral dimension."

The priest posted a letter on the church web site saying that "voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil."

Catholics who do not ask for forgiveness before receiving communion "eat and drink their own condemnation," Newman writes and cites a passage from I Corinthians in the Bible which talks about recognizing Christ before participating.

Newman told the newspaper that members of his church have been very supportive and claims the reaction has been favorable by a nine to one margin.

Stephen Gajdosik, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Charleston, told the newspaper that Newman's actions are within Catholic Church guidelines. he said local priests can best determine how to encourage their member's relationship with God.

If you would like to send an email thanking Father and assuring him of your prayers I'm sure he will appreciate it. The Diocese of Charleston is currently without a bishop since Bishop Robert Baker was assigned to Birmingham, AL, but you can send a thank you to the Diocesan Administrator, Msgr. Martin Laughlin at mlaughlin@catholic-doc.org. May God reward this courageous priest who is a true shepherd to his flock. Please pray for him.