Letters

Last things (letter)

Kevin McManus

Contents - Mar 2003 - Buy a copy now Editorial: War in Iraq? Questions to be considered - Peter Westmore Sydney Archdiocese RE test: behind one school's success story - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World - AD2000 Ten years on former Anglicans enrich Church - Fr Peter Geldard Vatican tells politicians: Don't hide your light - Michael Casanova Good priest, bad priest - my faith remains - Frank Mobbs Religious faith and modern culture: responding to a secular critic - Bill Muehlenberg Liturgy: The Mass is the same sacrifice as the Cross - Msgr. Peter J. Elliott New Age ideas: how Catholics should respond - Fr Peter Joseph The media and evangelisation - Moira Kirkwood Letters: Brisbane Synod (letter) - John F. Nolan Letters: 'Partner' or spouse? (letter) - Peter Hannigan Letters: Women's Commission (letter) - Leon Voesenek Letters: Church renovation (letter) - T.E. Geraghty Letters: Government proposals (letter) - Dr Arnold Jago Letters: Last things (letter) - Kevin McManus Letters: New springtime (letter) - Errol P. Duke Letters: Apostolate (letter) - Barry O'Brien Letters: Catholic websites (letter) - John Carroll Letters: Third rite (letter) - Norm Power Letters: Invalid (letter) - Maria Lossberg Letters: New Age? (letter) - Dr Lance Eccles Letters: Accountability (letter) - John Leach Letters: Infallible teaching (letter) - Peter Howard Poetry: From Tradition (For my mother) - Andrew Huntley Books: Life's Worth: The Case against Assisted Suicide, by Arthur Dyck - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) Books: Human Cloning And Human Dignity: Report of the President's Council on Bioethics - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) Books: The Self Evident Proof, by Richard Kouchoo - Catherine Sheehan (reviewer) Books: The Latest from AD Books Reflection: Lenten self-denial - at the very heart of our lives with Christ - Fr F.E. Burns

Reading AD2000 is always a joy, but the February issue was one of the best yet, with so many good articles. The restored seminaries in Australia are indicative that we are on recovery road - well almost.

At the last Synod in Rome, Archbishop Pell made a strong plea for the restoration of preaching on the Last Things.

While most clergy and seminarians are fired by a zeal to save souls, who has heard a sermon (or homily) on repentance these last 30 years? Many other important things are mentioned which make us feel cosy. But is that enough?

Zeal for souls drove many saints - St Alphonsus, St Paul of the Cross (the hunter of souls) and St John Vianney ("You have shown me the way to Ars; I will show you the way to Heaven". And so he did).

In this year of the Rosary we will pray: "Bring all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy". Yet how is this possible unless we are told by our pastors, "unless you repent you will die in your sins"?

An aged nun said recently that she no longer believed in Hell! What does it profit us if we gain community spirit, good educators, material comfort, social welfare, progress, psychology, expert advice, etc, and suffer the loss of our own souls?

Archbishop Pell's plea for a preaching of repentance, death, judgement, Heaven or Hell needs to be taken up in 2003.

How about a major article on the subject? Perhaps one of your learned feature writers could take up this important matter.

KEVIN McMANUS
Ashfield, NSW

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 16 No 2 (March 2003), p. 15