Apparently, regular correspondent Victor Calleja would be worried that the “intelligentsia” might accuse the Church if she “says anything about divorce”. Worried that the Church and its spokesmen might be accused of “blasphemy against democracy or corrupt practices” (Of Marriages Made In Heaven, January 8).
I can assure this friend that, eventually, he absolutely need not worry in the very least. Sacred Theology itself teaches that the Church is not democratic and, if she maintains herself faithful to God, can never be.
This characteristic of Mother Church is no less than a God-given one, which she can never shed. The “intelligentsia” might be unworthy of the eulogy in its name if the slightest ignorance is shown of this very same perhaps “unhappy” characteristic.
It is no secret that God “imposes” His law, albeit allowing us entire freedom as to its observance – according to those very same words of His in Holy Scripture: “He hath set water and fire before thee: stretch forth thy hand to which thou wilt. Before man is life and death, good and evil, that which he shall choose shall be given him.” (SIR. 15, 1718). Obviously, if one chooses death or evil, it is death or evil one has chosen!
On the other hand, Mother Church fails in her mission and is reasonably accused of infidelity to God if, when God “imposes” His law, she tries to avoid that type of criticism by failing to remind her children of God’s “imposition”.
This would be exactly the case if, for some reason or other, there happens to be some discussion or other on divorce, the subject referred to by Mr Calleja. The Church betrays her mission if, showing herself afraid of being called “undemocratic”, she fails to teach and insist on what the Lord “imposes” in this particular question of divorce. And, in Holy Scripture, there is quite a lot of teaching concerning this subject – in both the Old and the New Testament.
The “corrupt practices” would be the Church’s failure in its duties. Whether people like it or not, she would be setting a very bad example of infidelity to her Creator if, looking up in the face people rather than God, she acts unfaithfully in the observance of her duties as teacher and genuine Mother of her children! And, one day, she will have to answer for it!
God has every right to “impose” His law. And it is the Church’s supreme duty to bring that same law to the attention of her children, in no way deterred by such unjust accusations as “embarking on crusades” or “corrupt practices”. There can exist no “human right” against God’s law!
Malta’s particular case apart, failure in this particular field has undoubtedly been partly responsible for what has been called the “paganising of the west”! Incidentally, on January 9 we were informed that Pope Benedict XVI had this message for the Church: “Oggi famiglia minacciata. La Chiesa la sostenga.”