This week’s article comes from across the “cheddar curtain”. The worship that the Church engages in every Sunday is tolerated by our secular society, but the voice of the Church is often minimized and excluded from the social conversation. For modern secularists, Catholics should feel free to worship for an hour on a Sunday, but then remain silent in expressing our beliefs to the larger society. The beauty of the Church’s teachings is that they are based on reason and revelation – there is a truth which will win out, but not without a struggle. The modern culture wars have taken its toll not only on the value of human life from conception to natural death, but attacks on traditional marriage (marriage between a man and woman); the family and the primary role of parents in relationship to the raising of their children; and in a subtle way, the impact on religious liberty – the very first freedom. The consistent teachings of the Church always embody a prophetic aspect to its presentation. I am old enough to remember the controversy surrounding the teaching on “birth control.” St. Paul VI bravely proclaimed that one should never separate sexual relations from procreation. Prophetically, he offered that to do so would wreak havoc on the dignity of women, a weakening of the family, an increase in abortions and the potential for governments to use this as a means to regulate populations. Sexualization of our society has only led to a glorification of the individual without consideration of the consequences to children, family, or personal dignity. The encyclical, Humanae Vitae was issued in 1968. In the United States, the Roe v. Wade decision was issued just five years later. For 26 years, we have been blessed with the teachings of St. John Paul II, whose works have commented on every aspect of social teachings of the Church, including Humanae Vitae, and expanded in his apostolic exhortation, Familiaris Consortio (Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World) in 1981. In retrospect, St. John Paul II wrote two encyclicals that he used to form the basis for the Church’s moral understanding and teachings: Veritatis Splendor, 1993, and Evangelium Vitae, 1995. Their importance forms a blueprint for consideration of any moral issues. He rejects modern moral methodologies that fail to consider absolutes and the effects of integrating the teachings into one’s personal life. In the culture wars that we are currently involved, we need the consistent and strong message of teachings that address the issues without ignoring the truth. It is in truth that we offer the best of how God has fashioned us as His creation. Many can be discouraged by the onslaught of cultural attacks on our Catholic teachings, but this is not the first time the Church and its faithful have had to profess the teachings in the face of opposition. It is our mission to proclaim, with confidence, that the Lord Jesus and His Church is the only one who offers “Life Eternal.” Be joyful that we will proclaim the truth, but with love. It will always be the heart joined to the head that gives its teachings its strongest testimony. It was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians – see how they LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki,, Archbishop of Milwaukee, July 5, 2022