Editorial

The Rosary: Pray it for peace

Catholics may consider the Rosary primarily a devotion to Mary. Yet, the Rosary also leads us to prayer and meditation on the life of her son, Jesus.

Pope John Paul II made that connection in his recent apostolic letter on the Rosary: "With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love." (from Mysteries of Light: Meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary with John Paul II, Liguori Publications, 2003)

The quiet rhythm of the Rosary helps us mediate on the mysteries of Christ's life as seen through the eyes of the person closest to him - his mother. Through her intercession we can obtain all things from her son.

What does the world need right now? I think most of us would agree: peace. That's why Pope John Paul II keeps urging us to pray the Rosary for peace. He wants Mary to intercede with her son to help bring peace to our troubled world.

With its tranquil succession of Hail Marys, the Holy Father notes that the Rosary "has a peaceful effect on those who pray it, disposing them to receive and experience in their innermost depths, and to spread around them, that true peace which is the special gift of the Risen Lord."

Now you know why I have written about the Rosary at Easter time. I join with our Holy Father in encouraging our readers to pray the Rosary - even a decade each day - for peace. I think we will be surprised at how much peace the Rosary brings to our lives.

Mary C. Uhler, editor

Mailbag

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To the editor:

Fr. Tony Schumacher's letter to the editor, "Where are voices opposing war," was a direct slap in the face of all those pro-life American heroes: moms, dads, grandparents, teenagers who have for over 30 years been in the domestic trenches of this nation battling this diabolical war waged upon the most vulnerable and innocent of all the world citizens, the unborn.

Dear Fr. Tony and all the anti-war activists with this same mentality, may I ask you some questions? Have you ever been sidewalk counseling at an abortion clinic and had the clinic thugs spit in your face or harass you trying to provoke an altercation so the police will drag you off to jail? Have you ever prayed the Rosary in front of the mill and watched 30 women enter the abortion mill pregnant and come out without their babies? Believe me, it rips your heart out that you couldn't save that little baby and spare the mother a life-long period of grief and possibly the loss of her soul.

In the past certain documents tried to weaken or divide the resolve of the pro-life movement. This movement will stay the course until every American citizen will enjoy the right to life.

I invite Fr. Tony Schumacher and all anti-war activists to join ranks with us and fight the good fight and attack evil at its roots, abortion. This evil which has turned the 21st century into a dangerous time in history was best defined by Mother Teresa of Calcutta when she stated, "Nuclear war will be a direct result of abortion."

Bill Brennan, Janesville

Certain issues more important

To the editor:

After reading Katherine Brophy's letter in the March 13 issue of The Catholic Herald, I would like to pose a question. Since when are gun control and the taking of an innocent life (through abortion) "equally important issues"? How about "keeping corporate greed in check"? Is that on a par with killing and dismembering a baby in the womb? The other issues mentioned (anti-war, pro-environment, advocacy for the poor, the pursuit of a living wage, and anti-death penalty) are important, but none are equal to the slaughter of the unborn.

My point is that there are certain issues that ARE more important than others. As our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has pointed out, no Catholic, in good conscience, can support a political party or candidate that advocates the wholesale slaughter of the innocent. There are plenty of pro-abortion Republicans, too. Shame on them and on anyone who supports them.

Rose Miniatt, Randolph

Genetic diagnosis is alarming

To the editor:

The newest barbaric attack we face in Wisconsin comes in the form of a "pre-implantation genetic diagnosis" (PGD) campaign being waged by the Medical College of Wisconsin, Froedtert Hospital, and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

With PGD, multiple human beings are illicitly formed through in vitro fertilization. Genetic screening is carried out to determine which are "disgenic." Genocide is performed on the "unfit" and an attempt is made to implant the so-called "fit." Parents who have been identified as having a child with a genetic "disorder," or may be at risk of having one in the future, are encouraged to use PGD. Add to this efforts to register all genetically "defective" babies with the state and the situation becomes more alarming.

Christians must be willing to help bear the weight of protecting all innocent life at all stages.

Peggy Hamill, state director, Pro-Life Wisconsin, Brookfield