"Too many Catholics are just Eucharist Catholics"

Highlights from a priest's homily as quoted by the God Squad in Newsday. This is outstanding. Go read the whole thing.

"Too many Catholics are just Eucharist Catholics. They fail to see the Eucharist as a challenge and not just a gift. If we leave this church and then do not devote ourselves to the equally sacred task of protecting unborn life, we have not understood Christ's sacrifice. His life was not given to merely save you; it was given to save all. I ask you to pray about this, think seriously about it and allow yourselves to be challenged by the approaching election.

"Rejection of abortion is not merely a doctrine of the Catholic Church; it is a universal moral judgment affirmed by natural law and unaided human reason that is also supported by the teachings of the Catholic Church. It is not a particularistic ritual ruling applicable only to Catholics, nor is it an attempt to impose our religious beliefs on non-Catholics. Abortion is an ethical issue, just like slavery.

"As Catholics, we not only believe that a fetus has a right to life, but also a need to eventually accept the atoning death of Christ. I would never ask a politician to believe this as a prerequisite to elected office, but what I do ask of politicians is a simple respect for the fact that I can't vote for them if they can't hear the cries of the unborn.