Open Letter to the NY Times

Thanks to a good friend, I got introduced to a writer ahead of his times and have only begun to scratch the surface of his writings. So far, the piece below is my favorite.

Walker Percy wrote a letter to the NY Times on the 15th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which for unanswered reasons, was never published. Surprise, surprise.

Enjoy...

The Editor
The New York Times
229 West 43rd Street
New York, N.Y. 100036

Dear Sir:
The fifteenth anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision of the Supreme Court seems as good an occasion as any to call attention to an aspect of the abortion issue which is generally overlooked.

The battle lines between the "pro-life" and the "pro-choice" advocates are so fixed, the arguments so well known, indeed so often repeated, that it hardly seems worth the time to enter the controversy on the present terms. Thus, while it may indeed be argued that in terms of Judeo-Christian values individual human life is sacred and may not be destroyed, and while it is also true that modern medical evidence shows ever more clearly that there is no qualitative difference between an unborn human infant and a born human infant, the argument is persuasive only to those who accept such values and such evidence. Absent these latter, one can at least understand the familiar arguments for a "woman's rights over her own body," including "the products of conception."

The issue, then, seems presently frozen between the "religious" and the "secular" positions, with the latter apparently prevailing in the opinion polls and the media.

Rather than enter the fray with one or another argument, which, whether true or not, seems to be unavailing, I should like to call attention to certain social and historical consequences which may be less well known--call the attention, that is, of certain well-known and honorable institutions such as The New York Times, the United States Supreme Court, the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Organization of Women, and suchlike who, while distinguished in their defense of human rights, may not accept the premise of the sacred provenance of human life.

In a word, certain consequences, perhaps unforeseen, follow upon the acceptance of the principle of the destruction of human life for what may appear to be the most admirable social reasons.

One does not have to look back very far in history for an example of such consequences. Take democratic Germany in the 1920s. Perhaps the most influential book published in German in the first quarter of this century was entitled The Justification of the Destruction of Life Devoid of Value. Its co-authors were the distinguished jurist Karl Binding and the prominent psychiatrist Alfred Hoche. Neither Binding nor Hoche had ever heard of Hitler or the Nazis. Nor, in all likelihood, did Hitler ever read the book. He didn't have to.

The point is that the ideas expressed in the book and the policies advocated were the product not of Nazi ideology but rather of the best minds of the pre-Nazi Weimar Republic--physicians, social scientists, jurists and the like, who with the best secular intentions wished to improve the lot, socially and genetically, of the German people--by getting rid of the unfit and the unwanted.

It is hardly necessary to say what use the Nazis made of these ideas.

I would not wish to be understood as implying that the respected American institutions I have named are similar to corresponding pre-Nazi institutions.

But I do suggest that once the line is crossed, once the principle gains acceptance--juridically, medically, socially--innocent human life can be destroyed for whatever reason, for the most admirable socioeconomic, medical, or social reasons--then it does not take a prophet to predict what will happen next, or if not next, then sooner or later. At any rate, a warning is in order. Depending on the disposition of the majority and the opinion polls--now in favor of allowing women to get rid of unborn and unwanted babies--it is not difficult to imagine an electorate or a court ten years, fifty years from now, who would favor getting rid of useless old people, retarded children, anti-social blacks, illegal Hispanics, gypsies, Jews...

Why not?--if that is what is wanted by the majority, the polled opinion, the polity of the time.

Sincerely Yours,
Walker Percy

[Postscript: This letter did not appear in the Times. Nor was it acknowledged. On February 15, Dr. Percy wrote again.]

I am sorry that you have evidently not seen fit to publish my letter of January 22 in your Letters-to-Editor section. I should have thought that you would want to publish it, since it addresses what is a very controversial issue these days--even though the letter may run counter to your editorial policy. You are not known for suppressing dissent. In the unlikely circumstance that you somehow did not receive the letter, I would be glad to furnish you with a copy. The purpose of this letter is to establish for the record that you did in fact receive the first letter. For, if I do not receive an answer to this letter, it is fair to assume that you did.

[Dr. Percy received no reply.]

Rest in Peace, Dr. Percy.

"Whom are you looking for?"

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains which he endured, Alleluia!
our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
now above the sky he's King, Alleluia!
where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

GREAT Friday

What a paradox this day in history is: a gruesome death, yet a defeat that leads to everlasting life. A sure stumbling block for some to comprehend.

The Passion gets glossed over too much, because we're quick to look to the Resurrection or we hang crosses in our homes without the Corpus. We don't want to see our Savior depicted in this manner, because it's easier to ignore the reality of the event. When we do this, we fail to acknowledge the Cross and how Christ Crucified suffered for our fallen humanity.

"Keep your eyes on the crucifix, for Jesus without the cross is a man without a mission, and the cross without Jesus is a burden without a reliever."
Archbishop Fulton Sheen

"Sumite: hoc est corpus meum"

A happy Holy Thursday to everyone to begin their Easter Triduum. A reminder to all that the last will be first and that we're here to serve.

May the Lord bless you and keep you; may His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He look upon you kindly and give you His peace.

"The First Dream"

My attraction to Don Bosco really started after I talked to a Priest friend about some vivid dreams I was having nearly five years ago. Don Bosco's "First Dream" was when he was 9, so I guess at age 27, my "prophetic" dreams were a little late.

Let's first look at what the Catechism has to say about dreams...

CCC 67 reads:
Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.

Christian faith cannot accept "revelations" that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such "revelations."

So now that my post has been prefaced, I can save myself from being lumped in with cults since nothing revealed to me was in contradiction to the Word...

I remember it being such a peaceful sleep. I didn't feel as if I was dreaming and I didn't feel awake. It was definitely another dimension if you will. I found myself in a mist of gray. I couldn't even see myself or where I was at, as if in a cloud on a rainy day. No sound.

After a bit, I noticed I was in a small rowboat in the middle of an open body of water. I could only see about 15 feet in front of me and beyond that, more gray. No sound, but the ringing you hear when there is perfect silence.

It felt like hours on the rowboat when the clouds began to disperse. From the clouds came a figure and finally: color. The absolute whitest horse began approaching with the most stunning mane of white hair. On the horse was a great man of stature, bigger than anything I had ever seen. He had a long white robe, long flowing gray hair, and a long beard. As they got closer, I remember feeling elated, as if everything was going to get better.

The man and horse kept their distance and at once the horse leaned back on its hind legs and unleashed the loudest sound - so loud I couldn't hear. I only felt the power of the horse's "growl". While on its hind legs, as commanded, the man reached up into the sky with what I now saw was a scepter. Still no color. He touched the sky and from where he touched, the most radiant sun appeared. Blinding. I couldn't see.

The sound and light faded and when I raised my eyes, they now approached even closer, standing above me. The man took the scepter and rested it on my shoulder and at once, I began to see color.

A grin of assurance from the man and they departed.

The clouds began to disappear, the sun was brightly shining, and the water was blue. I was no longer in the rowboat, but now hovering above the water. I now saw other boats in the water, which I approached. The boats had people in them. The boats, the people - all gray with gloom in their faces. I then touched them with my hand and color and joy entered the boat as if I brought life to them. The most vivid memory I had was that of a boat containing a man and a woman. When I touched them, a child appeared in their arms and they were filled with so much love and affection.

My alarm goes off.

Alright, at this point I am MORE than freaked out. I think I stared at my alarm clock for about 5 minutes, wondering what was going on. I took me forever to get ready for work that morning and even walking to work, I remained in a daze. As expected, I began retracing my night. I didn't go out. I had no alcohol. Believe it or not, I had not read - or seen - The Lord of the Rings at this point in my life. I didn't even read Revelation before I went to sleep. So what was it?

Are you ready for the conclusion?

It was some months later when my girlfriend at the time introduced me to her good friend and her husband. We attended a class reunion together and that night it was revealed to me that they had been trying for some time to conceive. The next day we all attended Mass together and I noticed how closely they held each other and how their pain was evident. After Mass we were parting ways (her husband was heading off on a hunting trip) and I had this uncontrollable urge to place my hand on this girl's lower abdomen.
Well, I didn't. What struck me first was the thought of touching a woman I barely knew in such a manner and what would've struck me next would've been her husband's fist!

A month later I found out they conceived and since they were practicing NFP, they knew when it happened...


...the day the husband left on the hunting trip.

Pope Obama I

Oh, Barack, but you ARE less Christian for thinking abortion and same-sex marriage is ok.

This kind of stuff boggles my mind. Anything OPPOSED to life is anti-Christian. End of discussion.
The absolute nerve of Senator Obama to "interpret" the Sermon on the Mount for allowing same-sex unions. Ahhhhh!!!!!!!!

How we can allow someone to murder a human being is so foreign to me. The "unfit" being destroyed has been carried out by so many dictatorial monsters in the past. I don't know how so many people in our society are blind to this Nazi-like treatment.
We're talking about a HUMAN BEING here. People like to argue that at such an early age, it really isn't a human life - that is, until it's "born" from its mother's womb.
Well what in the world is it? A toaster oven?

NO.

It's a HUMAN LIFE; not a choice. Calling a child a choice really disarms the facts.


I hate politics, but when the state of our country hangs in the balance of a couple of "Christians" (Obama & Clinton) who think the Bible - and Christ - approve same sex marriage and abortion, I absolutely have to point out heresy.

Let us pray for Obama, Hillary, and all those deceived by the lies of the Evil One.


Here's a great blog about politics and religion in general.

Body and Blood

I previously examined the effects of "consuming" something. In coming to that conclusion, I reflected upon what occurs when we consume Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

As human beings, we could say that we're 50% from our father and 50% from our mother - give or take some percent based on physical traits, etc.
We could also say the same for Christ, even though he was 100% human and 100% divine.

We know his biological mother was Mary and his biological father was the Holy Spirit.
Since the Spirit was not "flesh" - the flesh of the Holy Trinity being Christ - could we then say that Christ, for all intents and purposes, is biologically Mary; that his DNA, blood type, etc., is solely derived from his mother?

In these assumptions, when we receive the Body of Christ, are we not also receiving the Mother of God, Mary Most Holy?
If at some time we didn't exist, but needed our mother and father to become "one" so that we could come into existence, then we can establish that we in fact inherit the genetic make-up of our parents.

And is it not so with our Redeemer?
As if it's not enough to receive all the graces we do when receiving the Eucharist, we also receive Mary. The Son of God and the Mother of God literally dwell within us. How beautiful and most assuring that not only do we literally become the Son and Mother of Man, but as they are in the Father, we also become what we were destined for: divinity.


And so my inaudible prayer during the Consecration has been:

Flesh and Blood of Mary
Spirit of God
Come to me
Remain in me
Transform me.