Good day Most Reverend Bishop Muhich,
Most residents of Newell, SD, are hardworking, relatively low income, yet honest, faithful believers in God. It is the ‘faithful’ attribute which spurs me to respond to your annual appeal (financial census).
Since you have become bishop of our diocese, unless I missed your visit, I am still eager to see you visit us at Newell. This is a small thing but important enough when folk who eagerly await rain from Heaven to water the crops upon which their own livelihood depends understand well how important a relationship is with the source from which rain proceeds…
More importantly, it is helpful when asking for anything, that the persons being asked have some inkling about how the gift is to affect what is important (such as LIFE). For instance, we assume that some portion of our gifts to the Church goes to the needs of the greater Diocese, such as your welfare, the welfare of retired priests, Life, the young, the truly needy (orphans, elderly widows) and so forth. Farmers, and in general, hard working people have usually grown up in healthy families and developed some understanding about what is truly important based upon common sense and in no small way as guided by Holy Scripture and our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Perhaps a simple short explanation of how our gifts, when sent directly to your office, can be expected to be applied to Life could benefit your role and greater needs significantly.
We much appreciate it when our gifts are known to go toward promoting ‘Life’ and not ‘death‘…Has not Catholic Social Services supported and even yet supports Planned Parenthood via United Way…?
Yet, more importantly, please help me understand how an annual appeal (census) is in any fashion different from 2nd Samuel 24…? Was not King David given 3 choices of penance? What was the great error…? Was it not lack of faith? Why would any Teacher in The Church be willing to actively teach his flock ‘unbelief’ in God and His infinite Providence…?
Yes, it seems all Christian denominations are guilty of this same error, but are not we Catholics the example which sets the acceptable standard?
We are listening.
Most respectfully,
Vincent Brechtel
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