Last Updated:Friday - 09/24/2010
December 3, 2007
WCR Letters to the Editor
Do not nationalize earthly elements
In his letter to the WCR (Nov. 12), Frank Sterle Jr. calls for the nationalization of the production of certain commodities, which he refers to as "earthly elements."
However, by Mr. Sterle's reasoning, farming, mining, fishing and a myriad of other industries that rely upon a supply of such "earthly elements" should also be nationalized. Moreover, any real or imagined danger of the production or consumption of a commodity is no basis for the nationalization of the industry that produces it.
Furthermore, Mr. Sterle's ideas are completely at odds with the Catholic principle of subsidiarity.
Rather, they are based on a Marxist (communist/socialist) philosophy, the antithesis of the capitalist philosophy that equally endangers the freedom of Western society, both of which ultimately lead to the same end: economic slavery of the dispossessed proletariat and concentrated power in the hands of the privileged few.
As Hilaire Belloc once pointed out in his great work, The Crisis of Civilization, neither Marxism nor unbridled capitalism will save us from the evils of those two ideologies, but only the return to the Catholic principle of distributism, also known as subsidiarity.
This principle was also espoused by Catholic social activists and/or commentators G.K. Chesterton, Father Vincent McNabb, Peter Maurin, and Dorothy Day and is clearly explained in paragraphs 185-188 of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Jim Verreault
Red Deer
Speak out against abortion, contraception
On Oct. 8, the WCR published my letter condemning the mortal sins of contraception and abortion. Oddly enough, there was no negative or positive response to it.
The silence of these unrepented sins is deafening within our Catholic Church. It is seldom mentioned during the Prayer of the Faithful or homilies. It's never mentioned in the Catholic booklets Living With Christ or The Word Among Us. For the most part, it's never mentioned by any writers in the WCR or to it.
Why? Contraception is a mortal sin silently condoned by many Catholics. Unless it's repented, we are in trouble. God's laws are definite - what you sow, you shall reap.
The late Mother Teresa said, "There'll never be peace until we stop abortion" and I will add, contraception as well (109,500 abortions in one year in Canada).
I can see the secular media promoting these sins and more because of their pagan values, but I cannot see Catholics condoning this.
Let's look at this horrendous ordeal from another perspective. If we had been told that contraception is a matter of conscience, OK, we didn't know better. Through repentance, God will understand where we are at and forgive. All we have to do is stop using contraceptives, live chaste lives and use the Billings or Serena natural family planning method if necessary.
Yet the silence continues as the contraception-abortion holocaust moves on while euthanasia awaits embracing. I can say without doubt, all other social justice issues will continue to get worse until this one is dealt with.
Wake up Catholics and show God you care about his Church's teachings and life and receive his forgiveness and blessings in doing so.
O Jesus, wake us up from our slumber before we lose our souls and all aborted babies please forgive us and pray for our salvation.
Richard Jiry
Edmonton
Letter to the Editor - 12/17/07
Letter to the Editor - 01/14/08
Demonize those cigarettes and liquor
Re: "Nationalize all natural resources, cigs, liquor" (WCR letters, Nov. 12).
I agree with Frank Sterle's comments regarding all natural resources, but vehemently disagree with including cigs and liquor.
Natural resources belong to the citizens and not to the corporate welfare bums who bleed the economy of billions of dollars every year.
Cigs and liquor are not required as necessary for life, but should be demonized as a prime result of our health costs escalating yearly.
Cigs and liquor are not required for a healthy life, but are very costly to the taxpayers.
E.A. Paradis
Edmonton
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