To the editor:
Aside from the fact that weekly attendance is an obligation, we attend Mass to worship God and to participate in the Pascal mystery. We are not there to be entertained or to see what we can get out of it. We attend for what we put into it.
To the editor:
Unfortunately this will reach you after the November 6th elections. I just read the October 25th issue and in reading the Mailbag, I must comment about the reader who wrote that he would not vote if he found fault with all candidates.
At this time of year, many of us put up our Nativity scenes as we prepare for Christmas. The scene from the stable in Bethlehem reminds us of that time long ago when Jesus was born.
The Holy Land of Jesus’ birth played such an important role in the development of our Christian faith. Jesus was raised in Nazareth and preached throughout the region. His passion, death, and resurrection happened in Jerusalem.
This area of the world is also sacred to people of the Jewish and Muslim faiths. For example, Jerusalem is mentioned 669 times in the Hebrew Bible. Many sites in the Holy Lane have been destinations for religious pilgrimages by people of these faiths for centuries.
Yet conflict and violence continue to plague this area of the world. It is always sad to hear about violence happening in the places where Jesus — the Prince of Peace — walked.
To the editor:
After our 2012 election for president of the U.S.A., it is eminently clear to me that our Catholic leadership is faced with a daunting task.
When 70 percent of the populace of the Madison Diocese votes for an openly pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage slate that elected Obama, Baldwin, and Pocan, it is obvious that any and all teachings by Bishop Morlino and our parish priests are falling on deaf ears.
To the editor:
I have heard many justifications for voting for President Obama by Catholics. One person said they were voting for the one who would continue to give her freedom of choice and freedom to live as she chooses, the one who would secure her rights.
One Catholic leader made the argument that there may be less abortions if Obama were in office because with more funding for welfare some of the fiscally poor unwed mothers may be more apt to keep their baby rather than “murder it” (my words).
“Abortion is murder, no less than if you murder a human outside the womb!” These words still resonate in my head as though I heard Fr. Ray Meier say them yesterday in his sermons at St. Patrick Parish, Madison, in the 1990s.
Yes, I admit to going shopping on Black Friday. There were some great deals to be had, but in retrospect I’m not sure they were worth the long lines and struggles with crowds.
However, as someone who loves shopping, I enjoyed being part of the sea of humanity on the day after Thanksgiving. Even my 86-year-old mother-in-law braved the challenges of shopping on Black Friday with me!
Another plus is that the economy got a shot in the arm. It was reported that a record 226 million shoppers spent a record $52.4 billion in stores and online on Black Friday weekend.
Besides giving gifts to family members and friends, I believe we should also be allocating a portion of our holiday giving to charitable causes. Instead of giving gifts to some people on our Christmas list, my husband and I have been giving donations to charities in their honor.
To the editor:
I wanted to take a brief opportunity to respond to two recent letters (both November 1, 2012), by Mr. Paul Krogman and Mr. Bill Wambach. As I read them, I was saddened because they both seem to have been offended by the articles of Mr. Nico Fassino and Sr. Joan L. Roccasalvo regarding liturgical music.
We usually think of Thanksgiving Day as hearkening back to the story of the Pilgrims and Indians in the 17th century. Certainly the observance of a day of thanksgiving in our country does trace its origins back to the harvest feast held in Plymouth, Mass., in 1621.
However, what many of us may not know is that the official proclamation of Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday happened in the middle of the American Civil War. Perhaps with our own “civil war” of sorts happening in 2012, in the aftermath of a contentious election, it might be worth noting what President Abraham Lincoln said at that time.
To the editor: […]
In Governor Mitt Romney’s concession speech given early on November 7, he implored Republicans and Democrats alike to “put the people before the politics.” In a time of “great challenges for America,” Governor Romney urged our leaders “to reach across the aisles” to help meet those challenges.
In an address at a victory rally in Chicago also in the early morning hours of November 7, President Barack Obama professed his own willingness to work with people of the opposing party. “I believe we can seize this future together — because we are not as divided as our politics suggest; we’re not as cynical as the pundits believe; we are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions; and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and forever will be, the United States of America,” said the president.
I hope Governor Romney and President Obama meant these words. I also hope that leaders of both parties in Congress heard their words and will work hard to put people above politics. The partisan gridlock has to be broken.
