responder felt that the article would allow any divorced Catholic
man to feel free to receive the Eucharist. This is not true. Much of
the confusion deals with the fact that the relevant portion of AL
deals primarily with dilemmas, situations that objectively have no
satisfactory resolution. If there is no dilemma, little reason exists for
discussion about irregular couples receiving Communion.
I. A Pagan Sensibility
The negative commentators insist on a strict application of the law.
They fail to mention the proper place of mercy in the Christian life,
and, at best, would reserve mercy only for the worthy poor and others
who deserve it.
Such a position resonates with the values of pagan Greece and Rome.
Pagan philosophers viewed mercy as a violation of justice. It ignored
the rational observance of the golden mean, granting relief that was
unearned. Rather than give in to leniency on the one side or to cruelty
on the other, the moral person should seek the middle ground of
justice. Mercy counted as so much nonsense, understandable only in
the immature and fools. 5
When plagues struck throughout the empire in the third century,
pagans ran out of town, abandoning even family members. Adherence
to the golden mean saved those who fled. Mercy would only imperil
their health. On the other hand, Christians, motivated by mercy, stayed
and ministered to the sick whether they were family members or not. 6
To the irritation of Emperor Julian, Christians mercifully created “a
miniature welfare state in an empire which for the most part lacked
social services.” 7
Even when pagans sought a greater place for mercy, it fell short of
the Christian ideal. For example, the first-century Roman poet Statius
favored “justice which mercy may accompany but never overturn.” 8
The statement of Statius summarizes the sentiment of the dissenters.
Reason alone was clearly in the driver’s seat in the pagan world.
In 1 Corinthians, Saint Paul addressed the issue of disunity. Some of his
correspondents appear to be guided by a way of thinking based on
their culture and not on the shocking novelty of the paschal mystery.
Paul invokes the center of Christian faith, the cross, opposing it to a
wisdom based on “human reasoning” (1 Cor 1:17). In Paul’s view, such
wisdom denies the specifics of the Christian faith. It seems wise, but
it amounts to folly, as the cross is the true wisdom brought into the
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