As we continue our journey through Advent, we listen to the prophet Baruch in the first reading today telling us: “for God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance secure in the glory of the God.”  God wants to remove all the obstacles that keep us from recognizing his loving presence in our midst and take us away from him and each other.  At times in their history, the Jewish people lost sight of who they were and how they became a people.  God brought them out of slavery and on their journey to the promised land gave them the ten commandments.  These are the basis of who they are and how they live in relationship with God and one another.  When they became unfaithful and sinned, God called them back again and again.  His love and mercy endures forever.

A few weeks ago there was a report about Bishop Tobin of Rhode Island who told a Catholic legislator in his diocese not to receive Holy Communion because of his support and protection of abortion rights.  Holy Communion is not a reward because we are good, but food for the journey through life as followers of Jesus in the Catholic Church.  We preface our reception of Holy Communion by praying: Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I will be healed.  If we have committed a serious sin we need to seek God’s mercy and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession before we approach the Sacrament of Holy Communion.  In our nation, public opinion and the decision of the Supreme Court on January 22, 1973 have made abortion legal.  Public opinion and acts by legislators cannot change the basic truths of who we are as Catholics and who we are as human beings.  The fifth commandment clearly states: You shall not kill.  Abortion clearly takes the life of a child growing in the womb.  The truth is you cannot say you are Catholic and defend, promote or advise abortion.  Such a Catholic is in a serious state of sin and on the road to eternal damnation.  Those who follow such people put their personal salvation at risk.  We do not talk a lot about sin today, but it is a reality.  The havoc it causes continues to bring suffering.  We experience that when we know in our hearts that we have sinned and refuse to repent.  Allowing public officials who tout their Catholicism and promote abortion to receive Communion is a contradiction and a source of scandal.  Holy Communion, besides enabling us to have the Body of Christ within us, says we are in communion with Jesus and his Church.  To disagree and disregard a vital belief such as the sanctity of life in the womb takes one out of communion.

The news reports about what Bishop Tobin did were accompanied by the opinions of people on the street.  Of course they like to quote those who say they are Catholic.  One quote said, “There are a lot of people who take communion and are pro-choice.  He should be allowed to take it.  He has a right to his opinion.”  Everyone has a right to his or her opinion, but public opinion does not determine the truth.  We don’t learn from history.  Satan tempted Adam and Eve by telling them that if they did what God told them not to they would be like God.  The first commandment says: “I am the Lord your God, you shall not have strange gods before me.”  As much as we are impressed with our intelligence, abilities and technologies as human beings, we must remember that we are human, not divine.  God did not negotiate the ten commandments.  They are called commandments, not suggestions.

Legislators who call themselves Catholic and promote, defend and support abortion are dealing with serious sin.  We cannot allow ourselves to be fooled by their false sense of authority, identity and power.  Too many people have already been misled, so many who are Catholic.  We cannot impose Catholicism on America, but we must defend ourselves against those who say they are one with us and promote disunity, evil and death through abortion.  Those legislators do not have the integrity or courage to defend what we believe as Catholics on this issue and do not have the integrity or courage to say they are not Catholic.  At best they are Catholics in serious sin, promoting the death of the most innocent among us and leading some away from the truth.  We used to say people like that were on the road to hell - that seems like an accurate description now.  They are major obstacles we face in our Church and world today.

Father Walden