politician, as his consistently cam- it in Holy . NOWISTHETIME:NOWISTHETIME: paigning and voting for permissive Yet it is a disgrace that many abortion and euthanasia laws.” entrusted with custody of the mys- Indeed, when the faithful wit- terium fidei would permit people so ness manifest grave sinners receiving obviously tied up with the demonic AnAn invitation invitation Holy Communion, some are tempted and systematic destruction of the to question both the gravity of the unborn to receive the Bread of abortion abomination and the Real Life. This scandalous situation is Presence of Our Lord in the grievous and greatly offensive to toto conversion conversion . Consequently, they may Catholics who have any measure of even fall into thinking, “If these piety. Yes, we pray for the lost politicians don’t have to listen to souls who enable the heinous crime Church teaching and can still receive of abortion. But I also pray that Holy Communion, why can’t I?” one day those who are uncomfort- As the preeminent scholar of able enforcing Church law will also Law, Archbishop Raymond understand the confusion they The Canon 915 Millstone Memorial Burke of Saint Louis, explained, have caused by their egregious fail- in Romney, West Virginia calls “No matter how often a bishop or ure to act and rally the other minis- Catholic ministers to defend vulnerable priest repeats the teaching of the ters of Holy Communion to defend persons, especially Christ in the Church regarding procured abor- the Holy of Holies from sacrilege. Eucharist tion, if he stands by and does noth- ing to discipline a Catholic who publicly supports legislation per- “To remain silent is to permit serious confusion mitting the gravest of injustices and, regarding a fundamental truth of the moral law.” at the same time, presents himself to receive Holy Communion, then his To those who are concerned By Father William J. Kuchinsky teaching rings hollow. To remain Eucharist. After all, there is nothing about the possible ramifications of items connected to current events silent is to permit serious confusion more holy or sacred in this world. Holy Communion, despite their enforcing Canon 915, we can hope I am pastor of Our Lady of Grace regarding Canon 915. regarding a fundamental truth of The significance of the millstone formal cooperation in the slaughter that the dark clouds over our in Romney, West The Millstone Memorial brings the moral law.” surrounding the Canon 915 medal- of millions of innocents. beloved land may be lifted by Virginia and on our church attention to the present scandal by This good shepherd also noted lion is not lost to those visiting the As then-Cardinal Joseph doing the right thing at this grounds is a Memorial to the Unborn which some of the faithful may be that in addition to maintaining memorial as it immediately invokes Ratzinger said in his 2004 memo to moment. We can hope that all eyes and the Canon 915 Millstone caused to falter in their belief in the respect for the holiness of the our Lord’s warning words, “But he bishops in the United States, “formal will recognize the deception which Memorial. The latter reminds us Real Presence of Jesus Christ in and avoiding that shall scandalize one of these lit- cooperation becomes manifest— has brought us as a nation to sacri- that 915 says: “Those the Most Blessed Sacrament of the scandal, the discipline of denying tle ones that believe in Me, it were understood, in the case of a Catholic fice our own children. Let us not who have been excommunicated . This stumbling block comes Holy Communion is the exercise of better for him that a millstone should discount the great things God may or interdicted after the imposition at a time when surveys suggest a moral duty on the part of the min- be hanged about his neck, and that work when we stand united in or the declaration of a penalty as that many Catholics do not real- ister “to safeguard the salvation of he should be drowned in the depth faith, truth and Church law. well as others who obstinately per- ize, “The most august sacrament is the soul of the party presenting him- of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). Indeed, those chosen by the sist in manifest grave sin are not to the Most Holy Eucharist in which self to receive Holy Communion.” Now is the time. Who among Almighty as overseers can help to be admitted to Communion.” Christ the Lord Himself is con- In light of the present struggles us accepts the Lord’s invitation to guide us out of the valley of death On January 7, the Feast of tained, offered and received and by which pit the against the conversion? by insuring that the fog of confu- Saint Raymond of Pennafort, which the Church continually lives anti-Gospel, life versus death, sion does not envelop the faithful The Reverend Father William J. Kuchinsky patron of Canon lawyers, we and grows…” (Canon 897). hope versus despair, this time may is a priest in the Roman Catholic and keep them from recognizing placed a capsule under the bronze Disbelief can be reinforced and be a providential moment of singu- of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia. He the path of life, which is clearly was ordained in 1997 and currently serves medallion inscribed with “Canon deepened when Catholic politi- lar opportunity to make clear to the hearts and minds of believers marked out in black and white. as the pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church 915.” The sealed capsule contains cians who publicly support the in Romney. Canon 915 is Church law written in Church documents, the Code of grave sins of abortion, human the true meaning and awesome view of a true understanding of the Canon Law, bishops’ statements, embryonic stem cell research and reality of the Holy Sacrifice of the E-mail this article from our awesome reality of the Holy web site www.CLmagazine.org. various news articles and other euthanasia are allowed to receive and the fruit we receive from

44 Celebrate Life March–April 2008 March–April 2008 Celebrate Life 45