The Gospel of Truth
by Father Jim Whalen Priests for Life Canada Newsletter 2006, issue 4
The Spirit of truth will bear witness to me and you also will be my witness" (Jn 15:26).
The preacher decided to preach about truth so announced to his congregation one week ahead to prepare by reading Mark 17 .When it came time to preach he asked for a show of hands how many had read it. Everyone put up their hands. He said you see now why I chose this topic - there is no chapter 17 in Mark.
Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Veritatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth), strives to safeguard sound teaching, and in particular, the Church's principles in moral teaching, dealing with the crisis of truth and shedding light on the presuppositions and consequences of the dissent. After the Vatican II Council, there have been many interpretations of Christian morality in theological thinking and philosophical affirmations that are not consistent and are incompatible with revealed truth. Pope John Paul II writes: "It is my intention to state the principles necessary for discerning what is contrary to sound doctrine, drawing attention to those elements of the Church's moral teaching which today appear particularly exposed to error, ambiguity, or neglect" (Y.S. #30). He points to Scripture to explain: "For the time will come when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths" (2 Tm 4: 1-5).
Pope John Paul II begins by dealing with the crucial issue of human freedom. In some currents of modem thought, freedom has been exalted to such an extent that it is perceived as an absolute, which would then be the source of values. This results in a radical subjective conception of moral judgment, in which objective universal truth about good is lost, granting the individual conscience the prerogative of independently determining the criteria of good and evil and then acting accordingly. This is a denial of the idea of human nature; of knowing the good by human reason; of universal human values; of the dependence of freedom on truth; of the fact that natural moral law has God as its author; that man, by the use of reason, participates in the eternal law. Such denials resulted in radical opposition between moral law and conscience, and between nature and freedom, leading to a relativistic conception of morality.
Bishop Anthony Tonnos of Hamilton clarifies this:
"Relativism is the practice of giving equal weight and authority to every opinion, idea, philosophy, or religion, regardless of its roots. If all ideas are equal none of them can truly reflect the truth. Ultimate truth becomes meaningless and God is relegated to the private sphere" (Catholic Register, October 6, 2006). The words of Christ best express the fundamental dependence of freedom on truth: "You will know' the truth and the truth will set you free" (In 8:32).
In this age of dissent, skepticism, minimalism, and moral relativism, there is a need for reform. The spirit of dissent must be seen and identified as disloyal discipleship, disloyalty to Jesus Christ. Christ explained this clearly: "He who is not with me is against me. He who does not gather with me scatters" (Lk 11 :23). Many have become guilty bystanders. But we are all accountable: "He will repay every man for what he has done" (Mt 16:27). Some in the Church have become intimidated by the times we live in, led by public opinion, political correctness, popular slogans, and media hype. Too many have been led by the spirit of the world. Some have looked to psychology rather than the blood of Christ to be absolved, substituting therapy for repentance. Teaching Sacred Scripture has often been replaced by personal opinions.
In some instances, there has been a failure to preach and teach chastity and abstinence in and before marriage as well as in entertainment. Silence was the response, a definite cop-out.
Bishop Samuel Aquila of North Dakota points out five areas of concern as the roots of dissent among Catholics: [General Comment: Many have an inadequate understanding of the Catholic faith and they are influenced more by secular culture than by the teaching of Jesus Christ].
1. Many who claim to be Catholic do not accept certain revealed Magisterial Church teachings that do not change, thinking they can pick and choose what to believe. (e.g.: using birth control)
2. Some Catholics accept ideas that are incompatible with the truths of their faith. The truth that sets us free is to be found only in Jesus Christ. (e.g.: abortion and euthanasia are not rights)
3. Many form their consciences with world opinion rather than Church teaching resulting in erroneous consciences, without understanding conscience correctly. (e.g.: using contraception)
4. Catholics do not appreciate sufficiently the dignity of human life. (e.g.: Scientists often take positions at odds with their faith: embryonic stem cell experimentation. )
5. Catholics at times misunderstand living out their faith in the world. (e.g.: Politicians are more committed to political agendas than to the teaching of Christ.)
Bishop Samuel Aquila furthermore pointed out the following failures:
1. Failure to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis
2. Failure to be properly disposed to receive Holy Communion
3. Failure to appreciate the truth, dignity, and meaning of human sexuality
4.Failure to understand the apostolic authority of Bishops
5. Failure to analyze pastoral practices which go beyond legitimate diversity.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, in 1993, treated extensively the theme of Relativism as the gravest problem of our time, as evidenced in his speech in Hong Kong to Asian Bishops, entitled:
"Christ, Faith, and the Challenge of Cultures". He calls it "the mother of all heresies". In 1996, speaking to the Bishops of Latin America, he called Relativism the central problem for the faith at the present time and that it deprived Christianity of its Missionary impulse. In summary, he taught that Relativism is dangerous because it is false. It suggests that objective truth does not exist, or at least is unattainable by the human mind. He explained that Relativism obscures the Christian claim that Jesus of Nazareth is the incarnate meaning of history, the Logos, the self-manifestation of truth itself. Christianity rises or falls on this fundamental conviction. Relativism denies the possibility of objectively binding creedal statements in the first place.
In 1999, when Cardinal Ratzinger was given an honorary doctorate at the School of Law in Rome, he explained how in a culture dominated by relativism, law becomes distorted and human rights are in jeopardy: "The majority determines what must be regarded as true and just... by the progressive disappearance of the fundamentals of law inspired in the Christian tradition. Matrimony and family are increasingly less the accepted form of the statutory community and are substituted by multiple, even fleeting, and problematic forms of living together. The relation between man and woman becomes conflictive, as does the relation between generations .... The sense of the sacred no longer has any meaning for law; respect for God, and for that which is sacred to others is now, with difficulty, regarded as a juridical value; it is displaced by the allegedly more important value of a limitless liberty in speech and judgment.
Even human life is something that can be disposed of: abortion and euthanasia are no longer excluded from juridical ordering. Forms of manipulation of human life are manifested in the areas of embryo experimentation and transplants, in which man arrogates to himself not only the ability to dispose of life and death, but also of his being and of his development".
Cardinal Ratzinger, on April 18, 2005, calls the most difficult challenge of our times as a "dictatorship of relativism" in the West. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago explained in these words: "In the West there is a fault line between concern for personal freedom and the abandonment of objective truth". Just as St. Benedict in the fifth and sixth centuries in an era of dissipation and decadence, generated a mode of life,a new community based on the principles of love and truth, so Pope Benedict XVI, in our present time of intellectual and moral decay, must find ways to challenge the relativistic mind-set and preserve an alternative vision of the meaning and purpose of human existence. Christians must keep their focus on Jesus to learn what true humanity means. Pope Benedict XVI believes that relativism postures as an intellectual expression of tolerance and appreciation for diversity, but in reality, it opens the door for totalitarianism by undercutting any basis for asserting that their are moral limits to what secular power can do. The Church's insistance on absolute truth makes it un susceptible to being coopted by alien ideologies such as National Socialism , Marxism, or free market Capitalism.
In some instances, there has been a failure to preach and teach chastity and abstinence in and before marriage as well as in entertainment. Silence was the response, a definite cop-out.
Bishop Samuel Aquila of North Dakota points out five areas of concern as the roots of dissent among Catholics: [General Comment: Many have an inadequate understanding of the Catholic faith and they are influenced more by secular culture than by the teaching of Jesus Christ].
1. Many who claim to be Catholic do not accept certain revealed Magisterial Church teachings that do not change, thinking they can pick and choose what to believe. (e.g.: using birth control)
2. Some Catholics accept ideas that are incompatible with the truths of their faith. The truth that sets us free is to be found only in Jesus Christ. (e.g.: abortion and euthanasia are not rights)
3. Many form their consciences with world opinion rather than Church teaching resulting in erroneous consciences, without understanding conscience correctly. (e.g.: using contraception)
4. Catholics do not appreciate sufficiently the dignity of human life. (e.g.: Scientists often take positions at odds with their faith: embryonic stem cell experimentation. )
5. Catholics at times misunderstand living out their faith in the world. (e.g.: Politicians are more committed to political agendas than to the teaching of Christ.)
Bishop Samuel Aquila furthermore pointed out the following failures:
1. Failure to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis
2. Failure to be properly disposed to receive Holy Communion
3. Failure to appreciate the truth, dignity, and meaning of human sexuality
4.Failure to understand the apostolic authority of Bishops
5. Failure to analyze pastoral practices which go beyond legitimate diversity.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, in 1993, treated extensively the theme of Relativism as the gravest problem of our time, as evidenced in his speech in Hong Kong to Asian Bishops, entitled:
"Christ, Faith, and the Challenge of Cultures". He calls it "the mother of all heresies". In 1996, speaking to the Bishops of Latin America, he called Relativism the central problem for the faith at the present time and that it deprived Christianity of its Missionary impulse. In summary, he taught that Relativism is dangerous because it is false. It suggests that objective truth does not exist, or at least is unattainable by the human mind. He explained that Relativism obscures the Christian claim that Jesus of Nazareth is the incarnate meaning of history, the Logos, the self-manifestation of truth itself. Christianity rises or falls on this fundamental conviction. Relativism denies the possibility of objectively binding creedal statements in the first place.
In 1999, when Cardinal Ratzinger was given an honorary doctorate at the School of Law in Rome, he explained how in a culture dominated by relativism, law becomes distorted and human rights are in jeopardy: "The majority determines what must be regarded as true and just... by the progressive disappearance of the fundamentals of law inspired in the Christian tradition. Matrimony and family are increasingly less the accepted form of the statutory community and are substituted by multiple, even fleeting, and problematic forms of living together. The relation between man and woman becomes conflictive, as does the relation between generations .... The sense of the sacred no longer has any meaning for law; respect for God, and for that which is sacred to others is now, with difficulty, regarded as a juridical value; it is displaced by the allegedly more important value of a limitless liberty in speech and judgment.
Even human life is something that can be disposed of: abortion and euthanasia are no longer excluded from juridical ordering. Forms of manipulation of human life are manifested in the areas of embryo experimentation and transplants, in which man arrogates to himself not only the ability to dispose of life and death, but also of his being and of his development".
Cardinal Ratzinger, on April 18, 2005, calls the most difficult challenge of our times as a "dictatorship of relativism" in the West. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago explained in these words: "In the West there is a fault line between concern for personal freedom and the abandonment of objective truth". Just as St. Benedict in the fifth and sixth centuries in an era of dissipation and decadence, generated a mode of life,a new community based on the principles of love and truth, so Pope Benedict XVI, in our present time of intellectual and moral decay, must find ways to challenge the relativistic mind-set and preserve an alternative vision of the meaning and purpose of human existence. Christians must keep their focus on Jesus to learn what true humanity means. Pope Benedict XVI believes that relativism postures as an intellectual expression of tolerance and appreciation for diversity, but in reality, it opens the door for totalitarianism by undercutting any basis for asserting that their are moral limits to what secular power can do. The Church's insistance on absolute truth makes it un susceptible to being coopted by alien ideologies such as National Socialism , Marxism, or free market Capitalism.
By denying the existance of any transcendent truth, and of a supernatural realm in which truth is grounded, the West runs the risk of divinizing the present, looking for the reign of God here and now. Relativism encourages a utopian approach to politics as seen at Dachau and the gulags. Relativism undercuts respect of human rights by treating rights claims as grounded in social convention rather than transcendent truth. Politicians must not surrender or compromise their Christian convictions. Democracy cannot survive unless God's truth is accepted.
Pope Benedict XVI'S goal will be to defeat relativism on its own turf. There are three main approaches to his thinking:
1. A teaching thrust to stimulate conversation about what he sees as the false promises of relativism on the intellectual and cultural front.
Pope Benedict XVI argues that relativism enslaves rather than liberates, because it eviscerates the only genuine basis for human rights, which is the belief that every human being has transcendent value because he or she is a child of God. We must not allow God to be excluded from society or permit 'rights' to be cut off from their Christian roots. True liberty flows from ordering one's life on the basis of truth, which is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
2. Political intervention to remind legislators and those responsible for civic life of the demands of objective truth.
3. Encouraging resistance in the form of new communities that strive to carve out an alternative vision of life rooted in Christian faith.
Pope Benedict XVI has identified many positive elements of our contemporary world that can be built upon, chiefly among them: democracy and the respect for human rights. He believes democracy is dependent for its vitality upon citizens with a sense of moral purpose and attachment to ultimate truths, which democracy itself cannot supply. Pope Benedict is neither optimistic nor pessimistic. He is realistic. This means he will not disengage or abandon the world but rather remain with and challenge it with Christian values and standards, generating and offering life, love, and hope to all.
Pope Benedict's strategy is twofold:
1. Relentlessly reminding us that the values we advocate on the world stage, democracy, human rights, and tolerance, are rooted in Christian heritage and unsustainable without that basis.
2.. Catholicism should foster vital cells of ecclesiastical life, alive with faith and passion, where the faith is transmitted fully and without compromise. Our priority in this time of apostasy of the faith is to make present the whole truth, the real answer to the demand of a life that corresponds to the Creator, to proclaim the message, and to have and live a faith that seeks to enlighten everyone and speak to everyone. The answers come from faith and reason, not faith and violence, as some religions advocate. In the Ratzinger Report he emphasizes: "What the Church needs in order to respond to the needs of man in every age is holiness, not management. The Church needs saints more than functionaries.
Pope Benedict's first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, calls us to witness to a truth that transcends human subjectivity; a truth that is based on the value that each individual life has, because God created and loves each individual. He challenges us to be disciples of life and love, not in a spirit of power or domination but in a spirit of service to authentic human living. We must live our lives according to God's plan of authentic love for humanity, which implies telling people the truth, even if it's not what they want to hear.
Pope Benedict XVI is making his mark on the political scene. He insists on coherence between the professions of faith of Catholic legislators and their political positions. In certain issues such as the Canadian legislation authorizing gay marriages there is a call for civil disobedience: one has to obey God before man, otherwise it will lead to totalitarianism. In the case of erring pro-choice Catholic politicians, who persist in their errors even after repeated warnings issued by pastors and bishops, the priest should refuse to administer Holy Communion, as a reaction to the person's public unworthiness to receive this Sacrament due to an objective situation of sin (The Rise of Benedict XVI, p. 183*). Pope Benedict XVI insists that Church teachings on contraception, abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, and embryonic stem cell research are not merely a matter of internal ecclesiastical discipline, but of defending critical truths about human life and the human family. These truths are not just "Catholic", but objectively valid for all times and cultures.
Pope Benedict XVI is committed to combating a relativistic devaluing of human life in matters of war and peace as well as the international economic order. This is evidenced in his public opposition to both U.S. led Gulf Wars, a position of Christian realism. He pointed out that the concept of pre-emptive war does not appear in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He has spoken out against armed conflict and international economic systems that fail to do justice to the world's poor. He views exploitation of the poor as a manifestation of the same disregard for truth that leads to exploitation of unborn children or embryonic life. He supports the new movements in the Church such as Focolare, Neocatechumenate, L' Arche, etc., seeing them as new models of community based on truth. He is convinced that God has revealed a set of truths about human life and destiny that the Church is enjoined to safeguard and propound those truths, and that societies that defy them cannot endure.
Pro-lifers must go beyond reacting to pro-acting. The gospel of truth must be proclaimed once again by our witnessing in our lives. "Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven" (Mt 10:32). St Augustine stated it clearly:
"Christ is truth; let it be proclaimed in pretense by hirelings and in truth by the children of God". This necessitates preparation: a need for personal spirituality, prayer, and holiness. It means centering our families around the Eucharist, and daily Mass if possible. It means getting down on our knees before the Blessed Sacrament in adoration. It means frequent reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It means praying the Rosary daily calling on Mary to lead us as the Star of the New Evangelization. It means studying and meditating on the Scriptures, the gospels of life, truth, peace, and love. It means promoting gospel values and spreading the truth: Natural Family Planning, not contraception; respecting life, not abortion;
palliative care, not euthanasia or assisted suicide; EWTN, not pornography. It means being of service to life from conception to natural death by being a Disciple of Truth
Pope Benedict XVI is making his mark on the political scene. He insists on coherence between the professions of faith of Catholic legislators and their political positions. In certain issues such as the Canadian legislation authorizing gay marriages there is a call for civil disobedience: one has to obey God before man, otherwise it will lead to totalitarianism. In the case of erring pro-choice Catholic politicians, who persist in their errors even after repeated warnings issued by pastors and bishops, the priest should refuse to administer Holy Communion, as a reaction to the person's public unworthiness to receive this Sacrament due to an objective situation of sin (The Rise of Benedict XVI, p. 183*). Pope Benedict XVI insists that Church teachings on contraception, abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, and embryonic stem cell research are not merely a matter of internal ecclesiastical discipline, but of defending critical truths about human life and the human family. These truths are not just "Catholic", but objectively valid for all times and cultures.
Pope Benedict XVI is committed to combating a relativistic devaluing of human life in matters of war and peace as well as the international economic order. This is evidenced in his public opposition to both U.S. led Gulf Wars, a position of Christian realism. He pointed out that the concept of pre-emptive war does not appear in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He has spoken out against armed conflict and international economic systems that fail to do justice to the world's poor. He views exploitation of the poor as a manifestation of the same disregard for truth that leads to exploitation of unborn children or embryonic life. He supports the new movements in the Church such as Focolare, Neocatechumenate, L' Arche, etc., seeing them as new models of community based on truth. He is convinced that God has revealed a set of truths about human life and destiny that the Church is enjoined to safeguard and propound those truths, and that societies that defy them cannot endure.
Pro-lifers must go beyond reacting to pro-acting. The gospel of truth must be proclaimed once again by our witnessing in our lives. "Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven" (Mt 10:32). St Augustine stated it clearly:
"Christ is truth; let it be proclaimed in pretense by hirelings and in truth by the children of God". This necessitates preparation: a need for personal spirituality, prayer, and holiness. It means centering our families around the Eucharist, and daily Mass if possible. It means getting down on our knees before the Blessed Sacrament in adoration. It means frequent reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It means praying the Rosary daily calling on Mary to lead us as the Star of the New Evangelization. It means studying and meditating on the Scriptures, the gospels of life, truth, peace, and love. It means promoting gospel values and spreading the truth: Natural Family Planning, not contraception; respecting life, not abortion;
palliative care, not euthanasia or assisted suicide; EWTN, not pornography. It means being of service to life from conception to natural death by being a Disciple of Truth..
Living the gospel of truth entails reproaching the restless, encouraging the timid, supporting the handicapped, confusing our opponents, teaching chastity, waking up the lazy, helping the orphan, caring for the sick, and the dying, freeing the oppressed, defending the unborn, approving the good, and loving all. We have been chosen to live in this time of culture of death, to take a firm stand against relativism, extramarital sex, permissiveness, contraception, abortion, and euthanasia. We have endless hope in the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth. Let us say yes to our obligation as Catholics to spread the gospel of truth, and to help build a culture of life with Christian values, a civilization of love and peace .•
* "When 'these precautionary measures have not had their effect, or in which they were not possible', and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive Holy Eucharist, 'the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it' (cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts Declaration, Holy Communion and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics' [2000], # 3-4). This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgement on the person's subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person's public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin".
Ratzinger, Spring Debate, Confidential Memorandum, General Principles for Reception of Communion, 2004, p. 183, in The Rise of Benedict XVI, John L. Allen Jr., Doubleday, 2005, pp. 249.
Pope Benedict XVI has identified many positive elements of our contemporary world that can be built upon, chiefly among them: democracy and the respect for human rights. He believes democracy is dependent for its vitality upon citizens with a sense of moral purpose and attachment to ultimate truths, which democracy itself cannot supply. Pope Benedict is neither optimistic nor pessimistic. He is realistic. This means he will not disengage or abandon the world but rather remain with and challenge it with Christian values and standards, generating and offering life, love, and hope to all.
Pope Benedict's strategy is twofold:
1. Relentlessly reminding us that the values we advocate on the world stage, democracy, human rights, and tolerance, are rooted in Christian heritage and unsustainable without that basis.
2.. Catholicism should foster vital cells of ecclesiastical life, alive with faith and passion, where the faith is transmitted fully and without compromise. Our priority in this time of apostasy of the faith is to make present the whole truth, the real answer to the demand of a life that corresponds to the Creator, to proclaim the message, and to have and live a faith that seeks to enlighten everyone and speak to everyone. The answers come from faith and reason, not faith and violence, as some religions advocate. In the Ratzinger Report he emphasizes: "What the Church needs in order to respond to the needs of man in every age is holiness, not management. The Church needs saints more than functionaries.
Pope Benedict's first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, calls us to witness to a truth that transcends human subjectivity; a truth that is based on the value that each individual life has, because God created and loves each individual. He challenges us to be disciples of life and love, not in a spirit of power or domination but in a spirit of service to authentic human living. We must live our lives according to God's plan of authentic love for humanity, which implies telling people the truth, even if it's not what they want to hear.
Pope Benedict XVI is making his mark on the political scene. He insists on coherence between the professions of faith of Catholic legislators and their political positions. In certain issues such as the Canadian legislation authorizing gay marriages there is a call for civil disobedience: one has to obey God before man, otherwise it will lead to totalitarianism. In the case of erring pro-choice Catholic politicians, who persist in their errors even after repeated warnings issued by pastors and bishops, the priest should refuse to administer Holy Communion, as a reaction to the person's public unworthiness to receive this Sacrament due to an objective situation of sin (The Rise of Benedict XVI, p. 183*). Pope Benedict XVI insists that Church teachings on contraception, abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, and embryonic stem cell research are not merely a matter of internal ecclesiastical discipline, but of defending critical truths about human life and the human family. These truths are not just "Catholic", but objectively valid for all times and cultures.
Pope Benedict XVI is committed to combating a relativistic devaluing of human life in matters of war and peace as well as the international economic order. This is evidenced in his public opposition to both U.S. led Gulf Wars, a position of Christian realism. He pointed out that the concept of pre-emptive war does not appear in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He has spoken out against armed conflict and international economic systems that fail to do justice to the world's poor. He views exploitation of the poor as a manifestation of the same disregard for truth that leads to exploitation of unborn children or embryonic life. He supports the new movements in the Church such as Focolare, Neocatechumenate, L' Arche, etc., seeing them as new models of community based on truth. He is convinced that God has revealed a set of truths about human life and destiny that the Church is enjoined to safeguard and propound those truths, and that societies that defy them cannot endure.
Pro-lifers must go beyond reacting to pro-acting. The gospel of truth must be proclaimed once again by our witnessing in our lives. "Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven" (Mt 10:32). St Augustine stated it clearly:
"Christ is truth; let it be proclaimed in pretense by hirelings and in truth by the children of God". This necessitates preparation: a need for personal spirituality, prayer, and holiness. It means centering our families around the Eucharist, and daily Mass if possible. It means getting down on our knees before the Blessed Sacrament in adoration. It means frequent reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It means praying the Rosary daily calling on Mary to lead us as the Star of the New Evangelization. It means studying and meditating on the Scriptures, the gospels of life, truth, peace, and love. It means promoting gospel values and spreading the truth: Natural Family Planning, not contraception; respecting life, not abortion;
palliative care, not euthanasia or assisted suicide; EWTN, not pornography. It means being of service to life from conception to natural death by being a Disciple of Truth
Pope Benedict XVI is making his mark on the political scene. He insists on coherence between the professions of faith of Catholic legislators and their political positions. In certain issues such as the Canadian legislation authorizing gay marriages there is a call for civil disobedience: one has to obey God before man, otherwise it will lead to totalitarianism. In the case of erring pro-choice Catholic politicians, who persist in their errors even after repeated warnings issued by pastors and bishops, the priest should refuse to administer Holy Communion, as a reaction to the person's public unworthiness to receive this Sacrament due to an objective situation of sin (The Rise of Benedict XVI, p. 183*). Pope Benedict XVI insists that Church teachings on contraception, abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, and embryonic stem cell research are not merely a matter of internal ecclesiastical discipline, but of defending critical truths about human life and the human family. These truths are not just "Catholic", but objectively valid for all times and cultures.
Pope Benedict XVI is committed to combating a relativistic devaluing of human life in matters of war and peace as well as the international economic order. This is evidenced in his public opposition to both U.S. led Gulf Wars, a position of Christian realism. He pointed out that the concept of pre-emptive war does not appear in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He has spoken out against armed conflict and international economic systems that fail to do justice to the world's poor. He views exploitation of the poor as a manifestation of the same disregard for truth that leads to exploitation of unborn children or embryonic life. He supports the new movements in the Church such as Focolare, Neocatechumenate, L' Arche, etc., seeing them as new models of community based on truth. He is convinced that God has revealed a set of truths about human life and destiny that the Church is enjoined to safeguard and propound those truths, and that societies that defy them cannot endure.
Pro-lifers must go beyond reacting to pro-acting. The gospel of truth must be proclaimed once again by our witnessing in our lives. "Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven" (Mt 10:32). St Augustine stated it clearly:
"Christ is truth; let it be proclaimed in pretense by hirelings and in truth by the children of God". This necessitates preparation: a need for personal spirituality, prayer, and holiness. It means centering our families around the Eucharist, and daily Mass if possible. It means getting down on our knees before the Blessed Sacrament in adoration. It means frequent reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It means praying the Rosary daily calling on Mary to lead us as the Star of the New Evangelization. It means studying and meditating on the Scriptures, the gospels of life, truth, peace, and love. It means promoting gospel values and spreading the truth: Natural Family Planning, not contraception; respecting life, not abortion;
palliative care, not euthanasia or assisted suicide; EWTN, not pornography. It means being of service to life from conception to natural death by being a Disciple of Truth..
Living the gospel of truth entails reproaching the restless, encouraging the timid, supporting the handicapped, confusing our opponents, teaching chastity, waking up the lazy, helping the orphan, caring for the sick, and the dying, freeing the oppressed, defending the unborn, approving the good, and loving all. We have been chosen to live in this time of culture of death, to take a firm stand against relativism, extramarital sex, permissiveness, contraception, abortion, and euthanasia. We have endless hope in the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth. Let us say yes to our obligation as Catholics to spread the gospel of truth, and to help build a culture of life with Christian values, a civilization of love and peace .•
* "When 'these precautionary measures have not had their effect, or in which they were not possible', and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive Holy Eucharist, 'the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it' (cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts Declaration, Holy Communion and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics' [2000], # 3-4). This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgement on the person's subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person's public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin".
Ratzinger, Spring Debate, Confidential Memorandum, General Principles for Reception of Communion, 2004, p. 183, in The Rise of Benedict XVI, John L. Allen Jr., Doubleday, 2005, pp. 249.