October 21, http://www.tribtimes.org
William Zambrano MD
On Capital Punishment
Anne Lastman, founder of VICTIMS OF ABORTION, has kindly shared many of her prolife articles with this site. Anne Lastman is a qualified post abortion grief counsellor and sexual abuse counsellor who has worked in this area for nearly 30 years. Over her time, Anne has developed a recovery strategy, which works well for those who persevere with the programme. Anne continues to study post abortion grief and the related, sexual abuse grief, which manifest with similar symptoms. Anne not only counsels (generally from a Catholic/Christian perspective), but speaks and writes on matters of post abortion trauma and grief, and travels the world speaking on this issue. Anne also speaks and counsels those who have suffered sexual abuse, which is often found underpinning the multiple abortion woman.
Anne was a close personal friend of Cardinal Pell as can be seen from this excerpt from an article describing Cardinal Pell's hellish experience in prison: " ‘I tried to visit several times but I was turned away,’ says Anne Lastman, Pell’s close friend from Perth who had attended much of the court proceedings. ‘It broke my heart knowing he was in there, locked up and alone.’"
In short, Anne is a lioness in defense of life, freedom, and the Catholic faith.
With her background it is to be expected that Anne is in complete agreement with Pope Leo's recent comments related to capital punishment:
Pope Leo XIV criticized supporters of the death penalty Tuesday, saying they are “not really pro-life.” “Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion’ but says, ‘I’m in favor of the death penalty,’ is not really pro-life,” the pope told reporters, via EWTN News.Most recently Anne shared her thoughts in an article titled "Pope Leo and the Crises Death Penalty". As you will see upon reviewing the article she is in vehement disagreement with the recently published opinion in a Crisis Magazine article, Pope Leo and the Death Penalty Charade.
Pope Leo's view is an extension of that of his predecessor Pope Francis which is expounded upon at length in the Patheos article "Pope Francis, The Death Penalty & The Radical Hope of Christ". It was indeed Pope Francis who updated the Catholic Catechism section on capital punishment:
BEFORE REVISION: 1992 2266-2267: “Preserving the common good of society requires rendering the aggressor unable to inflict harm. For this reason, the traditional teaching of the Church has acknowledged as well-founded the right and duty of the legitimate public authority to punish malefactors by means of penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime, not excluding, in cases of extreme gravity, the death penalty” (CCC 2266). However, “If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person” (CCC 2267).
Capital Punishment in Scripture and Tradition
(Rom 13:3-4) For princes are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good: and thou shalt have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to thee, for good. But if thou do that which is evil, fear: for he beareth not the sword in vain. For he is God's minister: an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil.
Archbishop Chaput shared his thoughts on capital punishment in this excerpt from a CNS article:
He compared the Church's teaching on the death penalty to that on acts like abortion, genocide and euthanasia, saying that in the comparison, there is an inequality.
"The death penalty", he wrote, "is not intrinsically evil. Both Scripture and long Christian tradition acknowledge the legitimacy of capital punishment under certain circumstances. The Church cannot repudiate that without repudiating her own identity."
"Catholic teaching on euthanasia, the death penalty, war, genocide and abortion," the archbishop said, "are rooted in the same concern for the sanctity of the human person. But these different issues do not all have the same gravity or moral content. They are not equivalent."
He used war as an applicable example, noting that there are cases in which acts of war are morally legitimate--similar to the death penalty.
However, he pointed out, what the Church's teaching on the death penalty involves is, "a call to set aside unnecessary violence, including violence by the state, in the name of human dignity and building a culture of life."
"In the wake of the bloodiest century in history," Archbishop Chaput said, "the Church invites us to recover our own humanity by choosing God's higher road of restraint and mercy instead of state-sanctioned killing that implicates all of us as citizens."
He cited the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states that if "non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor [i.e., the convicted murderer], authority [should] limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person" (2267).
Likewise, he quoted John Paul II, who points out in his Gospel of Life, that "the nature and extent of the punishment [for capital crimes] must be carefully evaluated and decided upon, and ought not to go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute necessity; in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society."
The late Pope noted that "today however, as a result of steady improvements to the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent."
The archbishop stressed that "(i)n modern industrialized states, killing convicted murderers adds nothing to anyone's safety. It is an excess."
A thorough discussion of the historical view of the Magisterium on capital punishment is beyond the scope of this review but can be readily ascertained through the following online sources:
- Catholicism & Capital Punishment by Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J.
- Church Fathers and Capital Punishment: Sts Chrysostom, Gregory Nazianzen, and Ambrose
- Getting it Wrong About the Death Penalty
- Why the Church Cannot Reverse Past Teaching on Capital Punishment
- The early Church and the death penalty
- Capital punishment and the infallibility of the ordinary Magisterium
A Practical Perspective on Capital Punishment
The Paschal Mystery
(Mat 16:21-23) From that time Jesus began to shew to his disciples, that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the ancients and scribes and chief priests, and be put to death, and the third day rise again. And Peter taking him, began to rebuke him, saying: Lord, be it far from thee, this shall not be unto thee. Who turning, said to Peter: Go behind me, Satan, thou art a scandal unto me: because thou savourest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.
(Joh 12:24-25) Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, Itself remaineth alone. But if it die it bringeth forth much fruit.......
Our Lord foretold to His disciples that it would be through His passion, death, and resurrection that He would bring salvation and eternal life to those who placed their trust in Him. When Peter rebuked Him, Peter was in turn rebuked for thinking not as God but as man. God used Jesus's terrible capital punishment as a tool for the salvation of mankind. Upon His death, a death that was willingly accepted (Eucharistic Prayer II) the Lord preached to those spirits that were in prison (1Pe 3:19) and opened up the gates of heaven forever.
(Joh 19:10-11) Pilate therefore saith to him: Speakest thou not to me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and I have power to release thee? Jesus answered: Thou shouldst not have any power against me, unless it were given thee from above......
Jesus asserts that Pilate's authority to crucify Him was ordained from above and not simply a product of circumstance. Though Pilate indeed had the free will to decide otherwise, as he had been requested by his wife, he willingly submitted to the desires of the Chief Priest and Sanhedrin leaders to carry out His execution.
But what if Pilate had decided to be merciful, release Barabas, but rather than to death, sentence Jesus to life in prison without the possibility of parole, even for good behavior?
Saint Dismas
(Luk 23:42-43) And he said to Jesus: Lord, remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdom. And Jesus said to him: Amen I say to thee: This day thou shalt be with me in paradise.
When crucified at the right hand of the Lord, Saint Dismas acknowledged his sinfulness, repented and asked the Lord for his personal salvation. The cross was his vehicle to eternal life.
One must wonder whether in less modern and earth centered times, the threat of impending capital punishment led condemned prisoners to confession and repentance. In prior eras, the knowledge of the faith watered by the seed of Baptism would likely have produced a fear of eternal damnation that itself would have led to contrition. How many murderers and other criminals saved their souls for eternity through the sacrament of penance immediately prior to their earthly demise? Is it truly merciful to deny those condemned to death this opportunity and instead subject them to imprisonment for the remainder of their days? How many would choose to use their remaining time to turn to the Lord if not facing a final deadline?
Via the Catechism:
1013 Death is the end of man's earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When "the single course of our earthly life" is completed, we shall not return to other earthly lives: "It is appointed for men to die once." There is no "reincarnation" after death.
1014 The Church encourages us to prepare ourselves for the hour of our death. In the ancient litany of the saints, for instance, she has us pray: "From a sudden and unforeseen death, deliver us, O Lord"; to ask the Mother of God to intercede for us "at the hour of our death" in the Hail Mary; and to entrust ourselves to St. Joseph, the patron of a happy death.
Ananias and Sapphira
(Act 5:1-11) But a certain man named Ananias, with Saphira his wife, sold a piece of land, And by fraud kept back part of the price of the land, his wife being privy thereunto: and bringing a certain part of it, laid it at the feet of the apostles. But Peter said: Ananias, why hath Satan tempted thy heart, that thou shouldst lie to the Holy Ghost and by fraud keep part of the price of the land? Whilst it remained, did it not remain to thee? And after it was sold, was it not in thy power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thy heart? Thou hast not lied to men, but to God. And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and gave up the ghost. And there came great fear upon all that heard it. And the young men rising up, removed him, and carrying him out, buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in. And Peter said to her: Tell me, woman, whether you sold the land for so much? And she said: Yea, for so much. And Peter said unto her: Why have you agreed together to tempt the spirit of the Lord? Behold the feet of them who have buried thy husband are at the door: and they shall carry thee out, Immediately, she fell down before his feet and gave up the ghost. And the young men coming in found her dead: and carried her out and buried her by her husband. And there came great fear upon the whole church and upon all that heard these things.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary: There are likewise different opinions among the Fathers, respecting the salvation of Ananias and Saphira. Some are of opinion, that as their fault was great, they died, and perished in their sin. but the ideas we are fond to cherish of the infinite mercy of God, would rather incline us to say, with St. Augustine, "I can believe that God spared them after this life, for his mercy is great. ... They were stricken with the scourge of death, that they might not be subject to eternal punishment." (St. Augustine, Serm. cxlviii. olim. 10. et in Parmen.) --- St. Benedict also, in the 57th chapter of his rule, insinuates, that their death was only corporal. (Haydock) --- It is not unreasonable, that the first violators of laws, should be punished with severity. It was thus that the Almighty treated Adam, the adorers of the golden calf, the first who broke the sabbath-day, &c. to prevent the effects of bad example. (Calmet)
Via Got Questions: The sad story of Ananias and Sapphira is not some obscure incident from the Old Testament regarding a violation of Mosaic Law. This occurred in the first-century church to believers in Jesus Christ. The story of Ananias and Sapphira is a reminder to us today that God sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7), that He hates sin, and that He is concerned for the purity of His church (1 Corinthians 11; 1 John 5). As Jesus told the compromising church in Thyatira, “All the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds” (Revelation 2:23).
Witness of Martyrs
(Luk 12:4-5) And I say to you, my friends: Be not afraid of them who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will shew you whom you shall fear: Fear ye him who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you: Fear him.
Pope Leo XIV: “We cannot and do not want to forget,” he said. “Just as in the first centuries, so too in the third millennium, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of new Christians.”
Via Catholic Straight Answers: The spiritual rationale which undergirds the act of martyrdom is one that each Christian must accept. In teaching the conditions for true discipleship, our Lord asserted, “If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and begin to follow in my footsteps. Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would a man show if he were to gain the whole world and destroy himself in the process?” (Matthew 16:24-26). Yes, the Christian must be prepared to bear the cross of our Lord, even if it means forsaking life in this world.
In doing so, however, such a Christian will be blessed in the eyes of God. In the Beatitudes, those right attitudes of living that bring blessed union with God, the eighth beatitude is repeated, “Blest are those persecuted for holiness’ sake; the reign of God is theirs.” Moreover, Jesus personalized this beatitude: “Blest are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you because of me.” Nevertheless, the point is not just the suffering here and now for the faith, but the courageous perseverance which gives way to everlasting life: “Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in Heaven.” (Confer Matthew 5:10-12.)
This spiritual rationale is reflected beautifully in the testimony of the martyrs of our early Church during the time of Roman persecution. For example, St. Ignatius of Antioch (d. 110), who was the third bishop of Antioch following St. Evodius (who had succeeded St. Peter the Apostle), and who had been a student of St. John the Apostle, was condemned by the Emperor Trajan and sentenced to being devoured by beasts in the arena. On the way to Rome where he would die, he wrote seven letters, including one to the Romans, in which he reflected on his pending death: “Allow me to be eaten by the beasts, which are my way of reaching God. I am God’s wheat, and I am to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts, so that I may become the pure bread of Christ,” and later “Neither the pleasures of the world nor the kingdoms of this age will be of any use to me. It is better for me to die in order to unite myself to Christ Jesus than to reign over the ends of the earth. I seek Him who died for us; I desire Him who rose for us. My birth is approaching…” (Letter to the Romans).
Another great witness to the faith during this time was St. Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna, who was a friend of St. Ignatius and who had also been a student of St. John the Apostle and had been consecrated a bishop by him. For refusing to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods and to acknowledge the divinity of the Emperor, St. Polycarp was condemned to death by burning at the stake at the age of eighty-six during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. As the pyre was about to be lit, St. Polycarp prayed, “I bless you for having judged me worthy from this day and this hour to be counted among your martyrs…. You have kept your promise, God of faithfulness and truth. For this reason and for everything, I praise you, I bless you, I glorify you, through the eternal and heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. Through Him, who is with you and the Holy Spirit, may glory be given to you, now and in the ages to come. Amen.” (The Martyrdom of St. Polycarp).
Conclusion
Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 3- "On Exile or Pilgrimage"
11 (cont.). Run from Egypt without looking back; because the hearts which look back upon it with affection shall not see Jerusalem, the land of dispassion. Those who left their own people in childlike simplicity at the beginning, and have since been completely purified, may profitably return to their former land, perhaps even with the intention, after saving themselves, of saving others too. Yet Moses, who was allowed to see God Himself and was sent by God for the salvation of his own people, met many dangers in Egypt, that is to say, dark, periods in the world.Prayer request? Send an email to: PrayerR...@aol.com
"Have ANY Catholic Question? Just ask Ron Smith at: hfmin...@roadrunner.com
This month's archive can be found at: http://www.catholicprophecy.info/news2.html.