To the editor:
After reading the Inside Cover piece in the September 6 issue titled “The Church’s teaching on the death penalty,” I recalled from long ago the quote “you can use Bible quotes to justify anything, including murder,” which, it seems to me, Mr. John Joy does.
In my almost 20 years of Franciscan and Dominican education, I never heard that the Church endorsed the death penalty.
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John Joy |
After speaking of the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Creed of the People of God next professes our faith in the reality of original sin and the mystery of our redemption in Christ through Baptism.
This creed of Pope Paul VI is based on the Nicene Creed we say at Mass, but it goes into greater detail about what Catholics are required to believe in order to be “practicing Catholics” and (more importantly) in order have that faith without which we cannot be saved.
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John Joy |
You might run into the term “practicing Catholic” in various contexts: if you teach in a Catholic school, for example, or if you serve as a catechist in your parish, or as a Confirmation sponsor or a godparent, you are supposed to be a “practicing Catholic”. But what does that mean exactly?
According to the Wisconsin Catholic Conference’s Standards for Educators in Catholic Schools and Parishes, it means: “a Catholic in good standing who participates fully in the worship and life of the Church, and who understands and accepts the teachings of the Church and moral demands of the Gospel, as articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.”
MADISON — Married couples, the Diocese of Madison needs your help.
If you want to share the blessings of your marriage or are looking for a way to help strengthen the marriages of couples just starting out, think about and pray about joining the Diocese of Madison Marriage Preparation Team.
