On the Brink
Dear Editor: George Weigel used the term “smoke of Satan” in his recent article on the Salem witch trials (“Salem and the Smoke of Satan,” April 9).
The “father of lies” knows that by exploiting human weaknesses he can muddy the waters about the evil of anything by playing on the natural propensity of men to debate things ad nauseam.
By getting the notion of the use of nuclear weapons into the “public square” with “expert” opinions on the woulds, whens, and ifs about Putin using nuclear weapons, Satan’s first gambit is achieved: the normalization of language debating a destruction that is a prelude to extermination. Words precede actions.
The bellicosity of the Russian side is all the more dangerous because it echoes the words of a madman who no one will stand up to. Do we think that if Hitler had had nuclear weapons first he would not have used them?
The entire international community needs to understand the brink of the crisis to which we have come. Stop playing Satan’s game in even speaking of the unspeakable. Condemn it.
Raymond F. Roberts
Bergenfield
Caring for God’s Creation
Dear Editor: The students at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy are to be commended for their articles and artwork published in the April 23 edition of Tablet Jr.
The administration and faculty are likewise to be commended for encouraging the students to learn about Care for Creation, one of the fundamental principles of Catholic social teaching.
As Pope Francis puts it in Laudato Si’, “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”
The week of May 22-29 is Laudato Si’ Week. Readers can learn more by going to the website godsplanet.us.
Also, thank you for the articles in the April 30 edition on the dedication of the Passionists’ Thomas Berry Place (“Respect for Earth Is Passionists’ Mission as Priests,” and “Friends Remember Thomas Berry”).
This facility will be a great asset to the Diocese as our appreciation of God’s creation continues to grow, and the work that takes place there will be a realization of the vision of Father Berry and Pope Francis — ecological spirituality, ecological education, care for the earth, and community resilience.
As Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si’, Everything is connected.
Tom Hinchen
Windsor Terrace
Problems at the Border
Dear Editor: Catholic Charities is being overwhelmed by busloads of illegal immigrants in Washington D.C. (“Catholic Charities in Washington on Brink of Becoming Overwhelmed,” April 30), and numerous other cities throughout the country because the Biden administration has an open border policy.
As Catholics and American citizens, we are complicit in breaking our laws by supporting these activities. We are good and kind people, but we cannot support every person who wants to come to this country. We have a legal process of immigration; continuing to ignore it will bring us financial and social disaster.
Our welfare programs, our schools, and our hospitals are being overwhelmed by people who are not vetted for criminal backgrounds, and health problems, including COVID, for which we have paid dearly.
Maureen O’Rourke McGroaty
Flatlands
A Mother Is So Many Things in So Many Ways
Dear Editor: This Sunday, we will celebrate Mother’s Day, a day set aside to honor mothers everywhere.
A mother has patience. A mother has understanding. A mother has so much love to give to her family. A mother is a trusted friend, confidante, and advisor.
A mother dries the tears of her children and hugs them to give comfort. A mother is always there to give her unconditional love in good times as well as in not-so-good times.
A mother always gives encouragement to her children to be the best that they can be in their lives. A mother is a protector. A mother is proud.
Most of all, a mother is a beautiful, precious gift from God.
Happy Mother’s Day. And may God bless them each and every day.
John Amato
Fresh Meadows