Gifts useless without truth, authority of church

In “Archbishop on marriage, ‘Maryland is not N.Y.’” (CR, Aug. 11), the battle between Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien and Gov. Martin J. O’Malley over the so-called “gay marriage” bill was lost long before the bill ever arrived on the governor’s desk. The well-educated governor playing the conscience card to justify a clear mistake in judgment means his conscience is malformed.

It is one thing to sin and repent and it is another to sin and believe otherwise. There are far too many nominal Catholics for lack of adequate faith formation. Wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord are gifts of the Holy Spirit we receive through baptism and confirmation. These gifts remain useless when we fail to inform ourselves of the truth available to us through the teaching authority of the church.

Catholic Review

The Catholic Review is the official publication of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.