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FRI-SAT-SUN January 7-9, 2000 volume 11, no. 5
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To print out entire text of Today's issue, go to SECTION ONE SECTION TWO SECTION THREE | CATHOLIC PewPOINT editorial | |
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FRI-SAT-SUN January 7-9, 2000 volume 11, no. 5
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To print out entire text of Today's issue, go to SECTION ONE SECTION TWO SECTION THREE | CATHOLIC PewPOINT editorial | |
Late last summer and early fall the Chancery office went to great lengths in formulating, printing and producing an ad campaign built around the phone number and the "Reconnect" program. Imagine their surprise when, once the campaign was launched, that few calls were coming in. Was apathy that bad in Newark? Definitely not. You see, the Archdiocese didn't count on Ma Bell to foul things up. In this case we're talking Bell Atlantic which failed to reserve the number. To make matters worse Pac Bell in California had plucked the number in October and given it to a thirty-four year old photographer in Oceanside, California - Raul Hogland. To make matters even worse, Hogland was a born-again evangelical who was raised to hate Catholics and rather than giving up the number at first, he used it as a tool to try to talk Catholic callers out of their faith. It brings to mind Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's famous words, "There aren't one in a hundred who hate Catholicism, but there are thousands who hate what they think is Catholicism." Hogland fit this description to a tee for he would tell callers they didn't need penance, only repentence. Like so many born-agains, he used Scripture to back up his rationalization with startled Catholic callers, taking things out of context. Hogland feels Catholics have a lot of heretical beliefs. Does he know what "heretical" means? Does he realize heretics are those who broke away from the teachings of the Church founded by Jesus Christ? He was quoted as saying: "They (Catholics) have good intentions, but they don't teach you how to receive Christ. They teach rituals." Duh, has he truly read Sacred Scripture? Wasn't the religion of the chosen people built on ritual to carry out what God wanted? Didn't Jesus establish the New Covenant built on many of the rituals of the Jewish faith? Didn't Jesus say more than once, "Unless you take up your cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple"? Didn't Our Lord emphasize in John 6: 54-59?: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has life everlasting and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh, and drinks My blood, abides in Me and I in him. As the living Father has sent Me, and as I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me. This is the bread that has come down from Heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna, and died. He who eats this bread shall live forever." In fact this is so important Our Lord repeats this numerous times in this chapter. Isn't that showing Catholics how to receive Christ...to truly receive Him? Without question - Yes!
The problem with so many evangelicals and born-again Catholic bashers is that they're quite convincing from afar, but get them one-on-one and they hem and haw and quickly change the subject when the latter passage comes up. So also with Hogland who probably was overwhelming when talking to Catholics who were weak in their faith. But confront him with a knowledgable Catholic with proper apologetics and Hogland is putty in the hands. When we tried to talk to him he didn't want to discuss religion or have anything to do with us once we identified ourselves as the DailyCATHOLIC. We suspect all the calls coming in not only hindered his own photography business, but he finally realized he was in over his head and had enough with so many Catholics calling. He finally relented to the Archdiocese's request to surrender the number on the condition that Bell Atlantic pay for expenses accrued and possibly for lost business. We still don't know the telephone company's response, but we do know it's the right thing for Ma Bell to do since she is the one who botched it up big time.
So a compromise was reached. The Archdiocese once again has the number 877-Y-NOT-CALL to use through April 9th when the number will be Hogland's permanently. In the meantime, he has agreed to give exclusivity for that number to the See of Newark so the "Reconnect" program for Reconciliation 2000 can officially begin this coming Monday. Had we known the problems the Archdiocese was having we would have gladly loaned them our own 800-I-DO-PRAY number for a few months. After all, the latter number is easier to remember and reinforces what we must all do. We suspect it was prayer that helped resolve this, beginning with Archbishop McCarrick himself. And it is only through prayer that we can be reconciled with God through His great Sacrament of Reconciliation that erases mortal sin and floods us with His sanctifying graces. It is also through prayer that we reconcile with each other, not just fellow Catholics, but all God's children. This includes Catholic-hating evangelicals and born-agains. Hogland and the Archdiocese, at two ends of the apologetic pole, both finally came to the realization of this and worked out an amiable reconciliation. Too bad this couldn't have been done between the stubborn and proud Martin Luther and an equally stubborn and clueless Pope Leo X in the early sixteenth century. It would have saved centuries of wars, persecutions and hate. Despite his unfounded bitterness toward the Catholic Church, we say hats off to Mr. Hogland who at least saw the wisdom in reconciliation, and hats off to the Archdiocese for its perseverance and gentleness in handling such a sticky wicket.
Both parties have shown reconciliation can work. In retrospect, it was a good "dress rehearsal" for the Archdiocese's Reconciliation 2000 program. Who knows, Mr. Hogland could have another conversion experience someday in God's time and see for the first time the truths of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Prayer, not argument, can bring this to fruition along with the illumination of countless other souls who need to replace the bitterness towards others and their beliefs. This goes for Catholics as well...each and every one of us. For while we don't agree with the beliefs of Mr. Hogland and the born-agains, nor do we agree with the Muslim, Mormon, Buddhist, Hindu, or other religions, at least we can be tolerant and reach out in love following the example of one of the greatest saints of our time Mother Teresa. She exemplified what reconciliation is all about. His Holiness John Paul II understands this better than anyone. That is why he has called for Reconciliation 2000. After all, reconciliation leads to love; holding resentments lead to hate! The moral: Hate never heals! Love conquers all!
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January 7-9, 2000 volume 11, no. 5 CATHOLIC PewPOINT
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