May/June 2014

I would like to compliment you on the February 2014 issue of Liguorian. One article that stood out spoke to the heart of maintaining a spirit-filled body and soul: “Tending the Spirit” by Fr. Stephen Rehrauer, CSsR.  His regimen for provid- ing nourishment to the soul and his suggestion to bring silence to our solitary prayer is so appropriate in today’s world. I have passed these important thoughts along to the RCIA partici- pants in our parish.

Thank you for a won- derful publication that continues to be relevant to today’s Christian. God bless your work. 

MICHAEL Y., OH  

As a 92-year-old music lov- er and Liguorian reader of many years, I thoroughly enjoyed the article about Pete Fountain (“Pete Foun- tain: A Closer Walk With Thee,” February 2014). I recognized his name right away. He and his family sound like great people, es- pecially enduring the trag- edy of Hurricane Katrina. Thanks to Fr. Miller for writing such an interest- ing and inspirational story about a fine and talented man.

JEAN D., VA

Fr. Lewandowski states, “if we did all in our power to help them fall in love with Jesus and his Church,” perhaps fewer people would be leaving the Church (“Plain Talk: Catechesis of the Heart,” February 2014). I would position it that, at this time in our his- tory, the overemphasis on conflating Jesus with the Church is one of the main reasons people are leaving. It is relatively easy to tell the story of Jesus so that people grow in love and respect for him. It is not so easy to promote love of the Church.

When Jesus and to- day’s Church are linked too closely, Jesus loses. Modern laypeople contem- plating the human “Body of Christ” (the Church) find it very difficult to fall in love with the institution. The worldwide sex-abuse activities and cover-ups, financial scandals, a hi- erarchy enamored of its own pomp and power, and an American hierarchical penchant for using the civil law to promote specifically Catholic precepts—along with a liturgy in chaos, a theology that refuses to consider incorporating new information present- ed by biology, astronomy, archaeology, psychology, and biblical studies, and the demeaning of women and the sisterhood—all make falling in love with the Church very difficult. Jesus’ message of love thy neighbor, love God, do unto others, etc., seems to get lost in a welter of rules that make less sense as human knowledge advances.

Let the Church preach Jesus and, as Pope Francis (God bless him) appears to be saying, let us rely more on God being the merci- ful judge and on us—the Church on earth—being servants and followers of a God who loves and wel- comes all.

SALVATORE A., PA