Charity, Community, and Unity
Dear Editor: A recent letter writer (“Start the Kids Early,” Nov. 5) suggested that as part of the Eucharistic Revival, parents should “start their kids early,” perhaps by taking them as well to weekday Mass.
Yes, the Eucharist is the center of our faith, but simply endeavoring to advance that through habit misses the point. The faith of every believer is essentially faith-seeking understanding.
Faithful catechesis and exposition of the Church’s theology of the Eucharist are necessary, especially from the pulpit.
Maybe a two-year effort of doing this, perhaps twice a month on Sundays, would help? As well, the surest testimony to the sacramental reality of the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist is the charity, community, and unity among the faithful.
Raymond F. Roberts
Bergenfield, N.J.
The Real Presence
Dear Editor: Taking children to church is simply not enough. When we consider that only 30% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence, we have a lot of work to do.
Sure, bringing the children to Mass is a good idea, but it needs an explanation beforehand. Not something read in a book but a shared human-to-human experience.
I still remember the instructions I received before my first Communion, given by the sainted Sisters of St. Joseph. I knew it was Jesus I was going to receive, no fancy words, no slide shows.
They conveyed it with words and the fullness of their belief.
I’m very far from that 7-year-old, but I firmly believe in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist every time I receive.
We need to inspire, invite and instill this wonder in our children and our adults.
Maria F. Mastromarino
Manalapan, N.J.
We Rose to the Occasion
Dear Editor: Reading about those affected by Superstorm Sandy (“Angels Among Us,” Oct. 29) and how they were able to survive with help from CCBQ, Vincent De Paul Society, and many government agencies, I wanted to mention the generosity of the many parishioners who gladly put money into the “extra” collections taken up at countless Masses throughout the five boroughs that continued well after the hurricane was over.
Paul Manheimer
Oakland Gardens
Putin, Jealousy, and Greed
Dear Editor: Russian President Vladimir Putin is jealous of the happiness and success of the Ukrainian people, so he decided to destroy them. Now, greed has become his very nature.
Jealousy and greed are the same sins that are part of the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which, when they were acted upon, resulted in the disobedience of God’s law and thus original sin.
When the jealousy of your heart meets with the greed in your being, the next step is to destroy what you do not have because you think it is punishment to those who rightfully own it. But, the backlash might destroy Putin in the end and bring nothing but pain and misery to the Russian people.
My father used to have a saying that a child eats soup with a teaspoon, a grown-up eats it with a soup spoon, a very hungry person eats it with a serving spoon, and a greedy person eats it with a ladle.
A greedy person does the same with everything in their life.
Linda Mircik
Middle Village
Thank you, George Weigel
Dear Editor: I would like to thank George Weigel for his timely article, “Biden, Paglia and Church Mortification,” in the Nov. 5 edition of The Tablet.
It is so nice to see a fellow Catholic layperson have the courage to “call out” so-called Catholics who pretend to obey fundamental church teachings from the gospel and then want to kill the most innocent on this earth — the unborn.
Paul Manheimer
Oakland Gardens