Denver Catholic

4 I OPINION OCTOBER 23, 2013 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER B. the forgiveness of sins C. the Holy Catholic Church THE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCE There are three "states" of the Church. The next three questions are about these three states. 6. "Being more closely united to 2. How does the catechism Christ (they) fix the whole Church refer to what has been called the more firmly in holiness…." To "Church militant"? whom does this passage in "LuA. Church on a quest men Gentium" refer? B. pilgrims on earth A. the saints in heaven C. faithful striving for B. all those faithful to the YEAR perfection OF FAITH practice of the evangeli3. How does the catecal counsels chism refer to what SCRIPTURE C. priests has been called the "First, I give thanks to my 7. Where is the "Church suffering"? God through Jesus Christ following Scripture A. those who have for all of you, because your passage found, died and are being faith is heralded through- which serves as a bapurified out the world." sis for praying for the B. the Church re—Rom 1:8 souls in purgatory? "… deemed it is a holy and wholesome C. disciples detained thought to pray for the dead that 4. How does the catechism they may be loosed from their refer to what has been called the sins." "Church triumphant"? A. 2 Maccabees 12:45 A. the Church in royal splendor B. 1 John 2:12 B. victors with a crown C. 2 Peter 3:7 C. those in glory contemplating God exactly as he is The Council of the District of Columbia is considering a bill, sponsored by its most aggressively activist gay member, to legalize surrogate child-bearing in your nation's capital. Infertility is a heart-rending problem. But solving that problem is not what's at issue here, for the D.C. surrogacy bill is being pushed by the same people who brought "gay marriage" to the shores of the Potomac River: people who affirm what are, by definition, infertile "marriages." Moreover, in their determination to deny reality—or perhaps reinvent it—the proponents of the D.C. surrogacy bill have adopted a species of Newspeak that would make George Orwell cringe. You can get a flavor of it in a letter written by a friend of mine to his D.C. councilman: "…in reading the bill I was struck that nothing was said about the child to be born out of the surrogate agreement. Much is said about the rights and responsibilities of the 'gestational carrier' (a very strange expression) and the 'intended parent,' but nothing is said about the child. The child is treated as a thing to be used as the gestational carrier and intended parent wish. This is the most troubling feature of the proposed law. It gives no indication that one is dealing here with a human person who will have feelings, thoughts, and memories. These are all swept aside as though the child to be born will have no interest in how he or she came into the world, who his or her parents are, and all the other things that are so fundamental to our identity as human beings." "Gestational carrier"? The D.C. bill not only treats the child as a thing, a commodity that can be bought and sold; it treats the woman bearing the child in the same way. But this is what happens when reality is turned inside-out. For as my friend pointed out to his councilman, it's illegal to sell human organs in America; so "how…is it possible to sell a baby?" The day I read my friend's plea to the D.C. council for moral sanity, I happened upon Anthony Esolen's report of another horror involving children, this time in Toronto: "A public school teacher in Toronto has written a set of lessons requiring young children to imagine wearing clothes appropriate for the opposite sex. He's been congratulated, not by wary parents, but by a school board that insists that teachers are 'co-parents.' What he's doing, of course, is subjecting naïve children to an exercise that promotes his own sexual aims." There is deep and disturbing cultural irony here. An America that prides itself on organizations like the Children's Defense Fund and that supports charities like the Save the Children Fund and UNICEF has also committed itself, not indefinitely we pray, to a regime of abortion on demand that has led to the deaths of tens of millions of children. The highest local legislative body in the federal capital is considering a bill that would commodify children as fit objects for sale and purchase—which is precisely what happened in Washington's antebellum slave markets. And up north, in the Land of Nice, children are being compelled to imagine themselves as cross-dressers; don't be surprised when it happens south of the 49th parallel. Democracy cannot long co-exist with decadence or unreality. That's the lesson of history and sound political philosophy. And it's the message of the Church, which, with John Paul II, teaches us that it takes a certain kind of people, living certain virtues, to make free politics (and the free economy) work. However we may describe those people and the virtues they live out, they aren't people who buy and sell children, speak blithely of "gestational carriers," reduce parenthood to a lifestyle choice, and ask youngsters to imagine themselves cross-dressing. These behaviors aren't just weird; they're wicked, and the attempt to force them on society through the law is a perfect example of what Benedict XVI meant by the "dictatorship of relativism." George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. Weigel's column is distributed by the Denver Catholic Register, the official newspaper of the Denver Archdiocese. Phone: 303-715-3215. BY PETER WESTHOFF The Communion of Saints A quiz on Catholic things under the patronage of the "Doctor of Prayer," St. Teresa of Avila. For each question there is one right answer, but the answer for one question is "None of the Above." The following quiz covers Catechism of the Catholic Church Nos. 946-962. 5. In one sense "Communion of Saints" refers to holy things, above all what St. Thomas Aquinas called "res mirabilis." What 1. What precedes "the Communion of Saints" in the Nicene Creed? A. the Holy Spirit Aquila 1. C, 2. B, 3. A, 4. C, 5. None of the Above: res mirabilis - miraculous thing and refers to the Eucharist, 6. A, 7. A GEORGE WEIGEL Children as commodities was Aquinas referring to with this Latin phrase? A. devotion to Mary B. honoring relics C. fasting Next quiz covers catechism Nos. 963-975. their growth in maximum love and, finally, help transform the structures of society so that they promote holiness. Our world, Bishop Giaquinta says in his book "Revolt of the Samaritans," "is in need of 'Good Samaritans,' modeled on the Gospel parable, who are not afraid to cross social, political and cultural lines to bring the message of love to the world." From Page 2 become all saints, all brothers and sisters." This follows the call of Jesus, "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34). This means that each of us has a responsibility to give maximum love to others, foster Pilgrimage From Page 2 Church built above the crypt of St. Peter and home to the tomb of John Paul the Great and the incorrupt body of John XXIII, as well as visits to the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, the major basilicas of Rome and the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi where the beloved founder of the Franciscan order is interred. Historic sites to be visited include the oldest road from Roman times—the Appian Way—the How true that is today. I urge everyone who reads this, especially those of you in the Archdiocese of Denver, to strive to become saints! Our nation, our world and our time needs saints who respond to God's love with maximum love in everything they do. Roman Forum and Colosseum, the Pantheon and the catacombs where the early Christians hid themselves. A general audience with Pope Francis, should he be available, is also on the itinerary. Those interested in making the pilgrimage should register quickly as space is limited. Cost is $3,695 per person (land only cost $2,495). An optional oneday trip to Naples and Pompei, which experienced one of the most devastating volcanic eruptions in the history of the region, is an additional $85 per person. Those who register for the pilgrimage by Nov. 15 will get a $100 discount. Registration deadline is Jan. 25, 2014. "This is a special pilgrimage put together by Faith Journeys specifically for the people of the Denver Archdiocese," Keller said. "It's a unique occasion for Catholics to be at the canonization of two beloved popes in the presence of both Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. It promises to be an incredible opportunity to witness the Church in action." For more information or to register, call Keller at 303-7153207 or email Emily.Keller@arch den.org. Read a story about the Pro Sanctity Movement on Page 5. ARCHBISHOP AQUILA'S SCHEDULE Oct. 26: Mass and confirmation, St. Thomas More Parish, Centennial (10 a.m.) Oct. 27: Red Mass, Regis University chapel, Denver (9 a.m.); Mass with Kateri Community, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (6:30 p.m.) DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-722-4687 OR CIRCULATION@ARCHDEN.ORG Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 General Manager Karna Swanson Denver Catholic Register (USPS 557-020) is published weekly except the last week of December and the first week of January, and in June, July and August when it goes bi-weekly. The Register is printed by The Denver Post LLC in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. Editor Roxanne King Subscriptions: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. 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