There are some excellent points made by Mike Krauss in "Seasons of Light, Seasons of Darkness" (Courier Times, 3/25/12): "In this season of darkness, as millions are reduced to ever expanding poverty and insecurity, and the cherished rights and liberties of Americans are subverted by their government, the powerful justify their privilege with a new gospel: material riches are the measure of all worth, people without such riches are worthless, and their rights are of no consequence." We indeed live in a time which devalues the sanctity of each and every human life.
Mr. Krauss rhetorically asks, "Who in the Church now stands to demand, without equivocation or excuse, a government and policies that embrace the absolute and unequivocal equality of every man, woman and child; an equality bestowed freely by the loving God of all, and not dependent on any human authority or institution, or sanctified by material wealth?" Well, I urge Mr. Krauss to sample the writings of a German Shepherd who currently lives in Rome, such as Deus Caritas Est (12/25/05), Spe Salvi (11/30/07), and Caritas In Veritate (6/29/09).
It is unfortunate that Mr. Krauss is unfamiliarity with the term, "Natural Law" (aka, "Natural Moral Law"), misleadingly saying that "'The 'Natural Law' is not our refuge. There is nothing benign about nature. A tsunami destroys in its path the just and the unjust alike. The stronger infant must be taught not to take the food or the toy of the weaker. In the jungle, predators kill off the young, old and infirm."
The "Natural Law" refers to an ethical system, first discussed by ancient Greek philosophers, but absolutely consistent with the Judeo-Christian tradition and referenced in both the Old and New Testaments:
- "I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jeremiah 31: 33) - For Christians who follow the same cycle of liturgical readings as Catholics, this will be recognizable as from the Old Testament reading of March 25th.
- "They show that the demands of the law are written in their hearts,* while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even defend them" (Romans 2: 15).
Mr. Krauss mistakenly believes that the "Natural Law" is a defense of the status quo and is synonomous with the "Laws of Nature." He is using his terms incorrectly. I encourage him to read the aforementioned writings of the German Shepherd, which rely heavily upon Natural Law reasoning.
Though the voice comes from an elderly man and it often seems that few are listening, there is most definitely a leader who "stands to demand, without equivocation or excuse, a government and policies that embrace the absolute and unequivocal equality of every man, woman and child; an equality bestowed freely by the loving God of all, and not dependent on any human authority or institution, or sanctified by material wealth." Sadly, it often seems that it is the fact that this German Shepherd recognizes the sanctity of each human life, from the very first moment of fertilization until natural death, that has been providing a stumbling block to many.
