This is an excellent article in defense of life according to Catholic teaching! Thank you for posting it. I also thank you for your response to the debate started by Fr. Cekada concerning Terri Schiavo's death.
If we call her death murder, he considers us emotional idiots, who get all our information from the liberal media. And yet rather than answer questions posed to him, he launches a personal attack on the Catholic who questions him.
This is a tragic crisis not only for the Schiavo family but for all Catholics. We are confirmed to be soldiers of Christ. Are we permitted to shrink from the fight simply because a priest tells us it is okay?
St. Paul tells us to hold fast to the traditions which have been given us. He says that even if an angel from heaven should appear and teach contrary to what the Church has taught, let him be anathema.
I always thought Fr. Cekada agreed with that. Unfortunately, he agrees only if we are questioning priests, bishops, or even the pope, who are not of his mindset.
My Jesus Mercy!
I happened to come across this blog by accident, but I am glad I did. Although the thread began with some interesting perspectives, it quickly degenerated into a bashing-Fr-Cekada party. This is a shame because it diverts from what should be the real issue.
Now, I do not personally know Fr. Cekada. Being a sedevacantist myself, I do know of him. Having said that, however, please know that my defense of Fr. Cekada has more to do with an injustice I believe is being done to the man, rather than a defense of "one of my own." A good priest is being raked (unfairly) over the coals here and its being done - ironically - in the name of defending the true teachings of the Catholic Church. And, yet, it is Fr. Cekada's credentials as a priest and Seminary teacher that make him far more qualified in presenting the Church's teachings, than say, Grey Ghost II, Cereus, breakers, and TAdams to name a few. Frankly, if you prefer your Moral Theology served up ala the style of these fine folks, then you certainly can't be serious about learning what the Church's true teaching is on preserving life.
There are so many tangential arguments going on in this thread. I will limit my comments to the issue of extraordinary means in preserving life (which is what apparently got this discussion started). Many of you have referred to JPII and the teachings of Vatican II in making your case that, according to Church teaching, Terri Schiavo was murdered and that those who defend the removal of her feeding tube are essentially accessories to murder - modern-day Nazis. A few of you even went so far as to suggest that Fr. Cekada cannot be Catholic at all given his position. Well … OK. You believe that Fr. Cekada and those who believe as he does are fringe, nutjobs? Well, consider what the late Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. has written. Fr. Hardon, a supporter of Vatican II, writes thus:
"Practically speaking, extraordinary means of preserving life are those that cannot be obtained or used without extreme difficulty in terms of pain, expense, or other burdening factors. The burden applies either to the person
whose life is at stake or to those on whom his welfare depends. In addition, means should be considered extraordinary if, when used, they do not offer a reasonable hope of benefit to the one for whom they are intended. " (p. 328, The Catholic Catechism: A Contemporary Catechism of the Teachings of the Catholic Church)
This Catechism was intended as a layman's guide to the Church's teachings following Vatican II. Interestingly, what Fr. Hardon says about extraordinary means is not all that different from what Fr. Cekada has said in his recent writings. Are we now to believe that Fr. Hardon is also a fringe nutjob? It doesn't seem that Fr. Cekada was twisting Church teaching after all, does it?
Now, if you are a "Catholic" who holds that the Second Vatican Council and the post-Conciliar popes are/were valid, and that their teachings are binding, then you must accept the above teaching on the use of extraordinary means in preserving life.
Of course, there will be those of you who will continue to hold on to your ill-informed views. In fact, you will claim that Fr. Hardon's statement, in some twisted way, supports YOUR position. That is a tragedy. There are folks on this website who read what you post and believe what you say to be the legitimate teaching of the Catholic Church - simply because you say so. That is what scares me!
Please know that I write this in Christian charity.
May God bless you all, and may God bless Fr. Cekada.
Dominus vobiscum