POINTS OF VIEW YOUR VOICE JUNE/JULY ISSUE ENGAGING ON MANY LEVELS I can’t remember the last time I read St. Anthony Messenger from cover to cover. I know it’s been years— probably the late 1980s, when I worked at St. Anthony Messenger Press. However long it has been, the June/July cover really caught my attention and interest. That got me inside the issue. The “You Welcomed Me” theme was beautifully developed from so many perspectives in the articles. And once I was on a roll reading the issue, the rest of the magazine was equally engaging. Dan Anderson, OFM, Cincinnati, Ohio
Kathryn D. Wiegand, Keene, New York
KEEPING POLITICS AND THEOLOGY SEPARATE I am writing to express disappointment with Mark Shea’s article in the May issue. Indeed, the Eucharist is a personal relationship with God, and I absolutely agree with the premise in the title. Unfortunately, Mr. Shea almost immediately went into a political diatribe instead of sticking to the rational/theological arguments that support the concept. I do not think this brings us closer to a unified approach to our faith and beliefs. John Murphy, Arroyo Grande, California
CARING FOR THE WHOLE HUMAN LIFE Thank you for publishing Mark Shea’s article in the May issue. His well-written argument lays out the facts and sums up what I believe. It is time that the general public comes to the realization that being pro-life means more than “saving unborn babies.” For far too long, babies and their parents have not received the support they need to thrive, mainly due to stinginess on the part of those who think the poor don’t deserve decent lives. Thus abortion prevailed, and those in power were happy to allow it because it eliminated babies who may have become a drag on the economy, due to their parents’ poverty. As Mr. Shea wrote: WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
“The number one abortifacient in the United States . . . is poverty.” Pro-choice is not pro-abortion. It is giving a pregnant woman power, not taking it away. As for refusing the Eucharist to those who are prochoice, Pope Francis followed Jesus’ teaching when he said that he has never refused the Eucharist to anyone. Jesus offers himself to all who believe, regardless of their status. Jesus fraternized with those on the margins of society. We should do likewise and spread his message of love and care to them. If we truly followed his teaching, there would be no need for abortion. Kathleen M. Klein, West Allis, Wisconsin
FEEDBACK FROM OUR ONLINE READERS “Franciscan Peacemakers: On the Front Lines of Human Trafficking,” by Stephen Copeland (June/July 2022) This was a marvelous story, told with clarity and compassion, about the transformative power of love that created a community and justice-centered enterprise. There were many examples in the article of how God graciously extends a second chance to all who want to embrace a new possibility for themselves in solidarity with other wounded healers.—Mark “Mary, Untier of Knots,” story by Maureen O’Brien; artwork by Carol Cole (May 2022) This was exactly what I needed to hear this morning. Five months ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I finished chemotherapy this past week and am getting ready for a double mastectomy. I tossed and turned all night with anxiety over the upcoming surgery. I started this journey with a novena to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, and found great peace through my initial diagnosis. This was the reminder I needed today as I begin the next step in my recovery. Thank you!—Kelly
St. Anthony Messenger • Letters • 28 W. Liberty St. • Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498 MagazineEditors@FranciscanMedia.org
6 • August 2022 / StAnthonyMessenger.org
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WWJD? Thank you, Mark Shea, for your powerful article in the May issue of St. Anthony Messenger (“I’d Like to Say: Stop Weaponizing the Eucharist”). I am so dismayed by the lack of compassion and the vitriolic rhetoric from so many parts of the Church surrounding the issue of abortion. How I long for us to be working together with all people of good will to care for mothers and young families in these trying times. What would Jesus do?
