Help Me in Evangelizing my "Catholic" Father - Who supports Abortion, Same Sex Marriage, etc

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On Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 9:48 AM, Maura Domashinski <maura_domashinski@hotmail.com> wrote:

Dad,

I am curious to read/hear your thoughts on this.

Maura

maura,

w.r.t.: [voters guide for serious catholics - Google Search](javascript:ol(‘http://www.google.com/search?q%3Dvoters%2Bguide%2Bfor%2Bserious%2Bcatholics’)😉

i was disappointed they didn’t put “support capital punishment” in between say, abortion and euthanasia.

if you live in a state that has capital punishment, by inferrence, you support it. that’s why i’m finally proud to be a nj citizen.

and as to “non-negotiable”, all i can say is “who says?”

while it’s most heartening people bring their religiously-born values to the public forum (see Stephen L Carter for all the wisdom you need on that point), it’s quite another to say that “my list is non-negotiable”.

one of the frustrating things about being a liberal is defending people’s right to hold such views. certainly there are any number of people who will accept exactly that list because it’s dressed in ecclesiastical garb; i grudgingly admit the view than you can bring a list of non-negotiable items to the public forum; i don’t accept it on it’s face. nor do i categorically endorse any of the five non-negotiable positions, though generally disagree with the stand against stem-cell research, and homosexual marriage (and generally agree with the others). if the catholic church doesn’t want to sanctify same-sex marriage, it won’t cause me to leave; if the state of nj were to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting it, i’d think about relocating.

on the subect of who says this with what authority, since that aspect is important to a catholic, you will note the lack of official seal (imprimatur) on the document. while there are lots of quotes from cathoic teaching, they are editor’s quotes, and selected to make political, rather than faith-based points. which is why no teacher of the faith (a bishop) has put his (sadly, only male) signature on the document. there are a handful of bishops who do endorse these points, and may consider this as the one non-negotiable list. though i’d chuckle to think if you considered those bishops of like mind that could all agree (without negotiation) the contents of the non-negotiable list.

and why hasn’t this happened? becuase a sufficient plurality of catholic bishops, already financially strapped, would be loath to see the likely challenge to their tax-exempt status should anyone claim promulgating this list crossed the line of endorsing specific candidates. while they’ve cleverly avoided specific candidates, their implicit (and selective) endorsement by withholding sacraments is about as close as they dare go.

love,
+=±- dad
 
The only help I can offer is that I will pray that you will be able to persuade your father that his liberal/relativistic beliefs do not correspond with the Truth as revealed by Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

The fact that you recognize that some of your father’s belief run afoul of Catholic teachings leads me to believe that you don’t really need citations to authority or to the Catechism. Please use all of your resources to convince your father that his beliefs on many issues contravenes Catholic holdings.

I would, however, like to offer a couple of suggestions. First, and foremost, is that you should try to persuade your father that frequent - daily - attendance at the Celebration of Mass would help him to see issues as they really are, and not as a product of the mass media. Second, frequent Confession is essential. The feeling of relief after an honest Confession cannot be described in words. Suffice it to say that its like being brought back into the Presence of God each and every time! Third, I’d like to see YOU pray to the Holy Spirit and implore the Paraclete to bestow on your father sufficient Grace to see the truth!

I’m particularly distressed by your father’s statements concerning same gender relations and the fact that the priesthood remains solely masculine. I get the impression that he mistakes the equality of the genders to being interchangeable. Women and men have obvious physical differences; for instance, men will never become mothers absent a form of perversion of science ala Frankenstein. In the same manner, men cannot become mothers. Instead, both genders are important to the primary function of any species, which is to engender offspring to continue our human quest. Neither gender holds a greater position; instead, the genders enjoy a symbiotic relationship wherein one complements the other in natural harmony. I firmly believe that deviance therefrom is not only sinful, but ultimately harmful to humanity as a whole.

As I stated in the beginning of this rather long comment, I will pray for your success in returning your father to the true faith of our Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. I will also pray for the Holy Spirit’s continued guidance for you, and thank God that your father’s daughter - you - care enough to seek help.

May Almighty God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit descend upon you now, and remain forever.
 
Thank you for your thoughtful and prayerful reply. I am especially grateful for your prayers. I pray as well that when speaking with my Father that my words are not mine but God’s through the grace of His Holy Spirit. Thank God for all of His Graces. Thank God for the unity and strength He gives us through prayer and the sacraments. May everyone come to know God’s glory and mercy through Reconcilliation and Eucharist.
 
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