Letters

Education needed

Judy O'Reilly

Contents - Nov 2006 - Buy a copy now Editorial: EWTN and the secular media: fighting fire with fire Education: The Spirit of Generation Y: the challenge for Catholic schools - Cardinal George Pell Living the Faith: What distinguishes a practising Catholic? - Bishop Luc Matthys News: The Church Around the World England: British Catholicism's dark night of the soul Books: Is the Catholic Church in Australia 'lost'? - Michael Gilchrist Brisbane Archdiocese: inclusive language in the liturgy continues - Michael Apthorp Liturgy: US bishop sets out clear guidelines on celebrations of the Mass - AD2000 REPORT Television: EWTN: now affordable and accessible in Australia - Moira Kirkwood Letters: Missal translation - Pat Hurley Letters: Translation hang-up - Fran Swindale Letters: Accuracy needed - Carol V. Phillips Letters: Faith and reason - Peter D. Howard Letters: Narrow - Norm Yodgee Letters: Infallible teaching - Don Ford Letters: Education needed - Judy O'Reilly Letters: Early baptism - John Schmid Letters: Declining practice - Gerard J. Keane Letters: Chavagnes College scholarship applications - Ferdi McDermott Letters: Conversion by violence - Gregory F.J. O'Regan Letters: Generation 'Y' - Kevin Cains Letters: Common sense and married clergy - Errol Duke Letters: Poem's author - Valerie J.Staunton Letters: Anonymity - Michael Apthorp Letters: EWTN by broadband - Bren Scheiner Poetry: Sometimes Gladness: Collected Poems 1954 to 2005, by Bruce Dawe - Michael Gilchrist (reviewer) Books: St John Bosco, St Dominic and the Rosary, St Thérèe of Lisieux - Siobhan B. Reeves (reviewer) DVD: A Family Retreat, by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen - Daniel Tobin (reviewer) Events: The teachings of the Catholic Church: an exploration Events: Second Annual Victorian Catholic Students Association Conference 25-26 Nov 2006 Books: Order books from www.freedompublishing.com.au Reflection: Catholic schools must proclaim the total love of Christ - Fr Sebastian Camilleri OFM

I am writing in response to John Young's article and Mark Moriarty's letter, calling the article ‘callous’.

We know from God's revelation that a heavenly destiny is a free gift to which no one has any entitlement, so that God is doing no injustice to any baby that dies unbaptised. We are all born in a state of original sin, due to the sin of Adam. Baptism removes this taint from the soul and pours in the supernatural gifts of the sacrament.

We are given to understand that limbo is a state of wonderful natural happiness. It may well be that parents in heaven will know their children who go there. The sad thing is that, happy though these children are, they will not have the Beatific Vision.

I recall a time I attended many baptisms, within my own family, or celebrated with friends. The babies were all very young, less than three weeks old. Parents made the sacrament a top priority. The most recent baptism I attended was for three members of the same family: a three months-old baby and her brothers, aged four and eleven respectively. Their mother said that it was time they got the boys ‘done’.

One usually hears the event described as a ‘christening’ rather than a baptism, and it is often delayed for months until it is a convenient time to get everyone together for a celebratory ‘do’ afterwards.

Perhaps what is needed is education on the importance of the sacrament, and what better place to start than from the pulpit?

JUDY O'REILLY
Raglan, NSW

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 19 No 10 (November 2006), p. 14