LETTERS

LETTERS
September 2004

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RIGHT ON TARGET

Every time I get my San Francisco Faith, I always go right to Stephen Frankini’s articles. They always are right on target. I like the way he presents all the facts. His articles reporting the state of the Masses in the Bay Area are the best.

Catholics need to get their heads out of the sand and speak out at the outrages committed at almost all parishes. Mr. Frankini’s articles really help bring this to peoples’ attention.

Annie Witz,
Corona

DOMINICAN ONCE WAS GOOD

Thank you for your great article, “No Catholic Character: Catholic Universities in Denial” [July/August Faith] by James McCoy. I read it with great interest and am delighted to see someone speaking out on the atrocity of so-called Catholic universities inviting a commencement speaker such as Barbara Boxer to address the graduates and their families. I am an alumnus of Dominican when it was still called Dominican College of San Rafael. My education there was a very good one and a deep strengthening of my Catholic faith with being taught to stand up for what is right and to defend the Catholic faith as we went out into the world. That has obviously all gone by the wayside now. John Galten’ s statement, “why doesn’t Dominican ease its chronic hypertension by simply going secular?” is excellent. These so-called Catholic universities are no longer teaching truth in accordance with the magisterium of the Catholic Church. I have grandchildren about to start college. Dominican was not a choice in their search!

anonymous,
received via e-mail

JESUS COULD GO AWOL?

Father Mark Catalana wrote in his April 20 rebuttal to Fred Kreyenbuhl’s letter to the editor in the February Valley Catholic [see July/August Faith], “clearly, Jesus had the gift of celibacy.” I do not understand how Jesus could have had the “gift” of celibacy as Father Catalana claims.

Jesus is the Son of God. He was, is, and ever will be God. From the beginning of time, God the Father’s plan was to redeem His fallen world. One characteristic of God is that He is unchangeable. Thus, God the Father’s mission for Jesus had to be fulfilled. Jesus is completely perfect. He freely “veiled” His divinity in order to feel and experience what humans do. But His divine qualities were always intact.

Therefore, it would never have been possible for Jesus to change His mind. It would have never been possible for Jesus to have come to earth and liked it, and decided to stay and live His life here like the rest of us. It would have never been possible for Jesus to literally have gone AWOL on God the Father. To think that Jesus could have remained a man and married a woman, is to deny His divinity. Therefore, it is impossible for Jesus to have had the “gift” of celibacy.

The Faith reports, “...Father Catalana’s letter in the April 20 Valley Catholic represents, perhaps, the diocese official response to Kreyenbuhl’s opinions.” I’m wondering if it does. But even if it does not, I have heard this claim by official church sources before, how is it substantiated?

Ronna Devincenzi,
Palo Alto

Editor replies: The Gospel of Luke says, “Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace before God and men.” As the Divine Word of God, the second person of the Trinity, Christ could not change or receive anything He did not already possess. But, as man, Christ could change and receive grace — He could grow in wisdom and grace, though He could not sin. Nor, since Christ’s human will always followed His Divine will, could Christ choose anything contrary to the Father’s will.

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