Sacred duty to teach

February 27, 2015
Cheryl Amalu
Belmont

I want to voice my support and deep appreciation for Archbishop Cordileone as he seeks to work with our Catholic high schools to make sure that they are providing an accurate and unified teaching of Catholic doctrine. Students have a right to the truth, even difficult ones, and the church has a sacred duty to teach it.

There is so much confusion in the church today and our archdiocese is no exception. The church is persecuted from without and within; by the world and by our own people, many of whom hold positions of authority and power in our institutions. Such people say it is hateful to uphold the ancient and unchanging teachings given to us by our Lord and maintained faithfully through the protection of the Holy Spirit in the area of faith and morals. They say the church has to come into the modern age and change like the hundreds of thousands of Protestant churches who get to vote on doctrine and so change. I converted to Catholicism from Lutheranism 30 years ago precisely because I could see that the Lutheran Church had lost important truths necessary for happiness and human flourishing. I could see that the contraceptive mentality led absolutely to promiscuity, divorce, abortion, and the devaluing of all human beings. My Lutheran church said it was good. The Catholic Church on the other hand stood firm, not changing in spite of the fact that even many clergy wanted this to change. It stood firm, not because it is a club run by a bunch of women-hating men, but because it is protected by the power of the Holy Spirit to not teach error in the area of faith and morals. It can never change.

Archbishop Cordileone and all our priests have generously given a total gift of themselves to share the good news of the Gospel and the way of salvation revealed to us by our Lord himself and safeguarded for all time by the church He established. I pray that the Lord will be His strength and consolation and the strength and consolation of all our beloved priests as they work to make sure that the light of truth shines brightly for those of good will who truly seek it. 

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