Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
January 9, 2002
Letters
Quiet, please
Please allow me to add my support to the complaint in the Letters section of the Nov. 28 Register concerning churches turning into Babel immediately following Mass.
I have changed parishes two times in an attempt to find a church where I can say my prayers and rosary after Mass without people thinking it is the time for socializing. I am amazed at how people seem to think that the second the priest passes them on his exit, it is a signal to just start talking, with no regard for anyone else. It is very hard and extremely distracting when people are talking and laughing as close as a mere foot away.
I am not sure when this started or how, but it does not occur everywhere. I spend about two months a year in Pennsylvania with my mother. In my parish back there, if people greet each other after Mass, they do it silently with a wave or nod of the head or in a very low whisper.
We humans, our country and the world need all the prayers possible. It is a pretty sad state of affairs when we can't find the quiet and solitude in our churches to pray after Mass. If members of our congregations don't remember that churches are for praying and not socializing, then church leaders need to remind them. I really wish that priests of these parishes, and they know whether their parishioners are guilty or not, would make an announcement from the altar occasionally, when necessary.
I, for one, would really appreciate going back in time to when one was able to pray after Mass without so many distractions.
Rebecca J. Bennett
Denver
Avoid Potter
After reading the review of the movie, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by the Office of Film and Broadcasting for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (Nov. 21 Register), I believe the reviewer missed the point regarding the phenomenal interest in everything "Harry Potter."
Potter would not be as nearly attractive in a culture of people whose consciences are formed to be keenly aware of the forces of good and evil with the desire to yearn for the former and detest the latter. Unfortunately, we do not live in an age of innocence.
It is a naive person who can be persuaded that film media has as its only goal that of yielding box office revenues. Successful film and literature stir passions, emotions, and interest. And in Potter's case these all center around witchcraft and its benefits. I state benefits, because the hero of these tales is a witch (wizard) and any negative consequences of his witchcraft are always superceded by more positive ones.
Catholic families would do well to avoid this film for three reasons:
1. The magic of Harry Potter is not a power derived from a benevolent source — no fairy godmother or angels here. This is a supernatural power based on very dark elements with its origins in ancient mystic rituals and pagan religions
2. The mediator of this black magic is not the villain as in the fairy tales of Cinderella, the Wizard of Oz, or Snow White, but he is the hero. This tells the audience in no uncertain terms that witchcraft is on the good side, therefore helping to erode any apprehension children might have against it.
3. There are so many other books and sources of entertainment which will actually bring families closer to God than this one, which does the opposite.
If we are not encouraging the filling of our minds with the truth of our Church, then we do ourselves an injustice to encourage the draining of it with godless entertainment. Let's try a little harder to be "in the world and not of the world" by avoiding this latest temptation.
Tim Leonard
Kittredge
Resist Potter
In Anne Navarro's recent article about "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," Navarro stated: "Parents concerned about the film's sorcery elements should know that it is unlikely to pose any threat to Catholic beliefs." She went on to say that the movie "is so obviously innocuous fantasy that its fiction is easily distinguishable from real life."
Sorcery in any form — teaching, showing, allowing, promulgating, acting — is clearly contrary to our faith from a biblical dimension. Our Lord has defined the punishment for such in Malachi 3:5: "Then I will draw near to you for judgement; I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers." See also Revelation 21:7-8.
Stating that Potter is harmless fantasy and obvious fiction indicates Navarro does not understand the duties of parents as outlined in the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" (2221-2231) or the reality that on many occasions fiction leads to grave sin.
I believe Navarro is in error when she attempts to minimize the obvious glamorization of evil and the threat to Catholic belief. The existence of Satan is a matter of faith and mysterious. We need look no further than St. Peter the Apostle when he urges us to resist the devil as men "solid in our faith."
Knowing and living that faith gives us the knowledge and strength to reject sorcery and "Potter."
Tom Welter
Englewood
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