The Aug. 20 issue was rich and interesting.

A number of articles addressed similar concerns about the direction of the Church and its faithful. I believe that there are two things that are of major importance:

1. Christ took great pains to establish in detail the form and substance of his Church, the Catholic Church.
2. Christ commanded that we spread his Gospel and bring everyone into his Church for their participation in the fullness of redemption.

I find much of our ecumenical activity is directed not so much at bringing people into his Catholic Church, but to making ourselves better liked and making others comfortable in whatever beliefs they wish to hold.

How dare we withhold from others the treasure of the Catholic faith, by being smug in our beliefs and/or uncaring about the error of theirs.

Thus, as Chantal Beauvais, philosopher, in the article on competing spiritualities reminds us we need to be knowledgeable in our faith so that we are equipped to live it better and share it effectively and charitably to convert others to Catholicism.

That is still and will always be our Christ-given mandate.