Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Eucharist Trouble

This story comes from MyFoxOrlando.


Student Who Took Religious Icon Getting Death Threats

By Cheryl Getuiza
FOX 35 NEWS

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) --A UCF student claims he’s getting death threats for messing with something sacred.

[Death Threats?? I hope that is not true. I hardly think that to be a charitable Catholic response especially since he did the right thing and returned it.]

Webster Cook says he smuggled a Eucharist, a small bread wafer that to Catholics symbolic of the Body of Christ after a priest blesses it, out of mass, didn’t eat it as he was supposed to do, but instead walked with it.

[Ah, no...it *is* the Body of Christ]

Catholics worldwide became furious.

Webster’s friend, who didn’t want to show his face, said he took the Eucharist, to show him what it meant to Catholics.

[I'm sure he is impressed by our reaction to this incident. I'm not saying that the young man was right in doing what he did, he wasn't, but I think a teaching moment may have been missed in all the fury.]

Webster gave the wafer back, but the Catholic League, a national watchdog organization for Catholic rights claims that is not enough.

“We don’t know 100% what Mr. Cooks motivation was,” said Susan Fani a spokesperson with the local Catholic diocese. “However, if anything were to qualify as a hate crime, to us this seems like this might be it.”

[A hate crime? What? I think the Catholic League does a wonderful job defending the faith, but a hate crime? Get real! It might qualify as a bad decisoin based on ignorance. ]

We just expect the University to take this seriously,” she added “To send a message to not just Mr. Cook but the whole community that this kind of really complete sacrilege will not be tolerated.”

[Like put him on the rack or boil him in oil for a week? What should they do? Personally, I think that this is an opportunity for the Pastor to hear a confession, and teach a person about how sacred the Body of Christ is to us. Just maybe this could have brought another soul into the Church rather than drive two away with death threats?]
Webster just wants all of this to go away. Especially now that he feels his life is in danger.

University officials said, that as for right now, Webster Cook is not in trouble. If anyone or any group wants to file a formal complaint with the University through the student judicial system, they can.

It that happens, Webster will go through a hearing either in front of an administrative panel or a panel of his peers.


You know what, when Jesus was dying on the cross he said, "Father forgive them..." I think his words on the cross are important in this case. Christ's body was broken and bleeding on that cross and yet he forgave him. There does not appear to be any malice intended on the part of the man in question . I think there was a missed opportunity here. Too bad. Just what kind of example do we set by shouting "hate crime" and making death threats? Real impressive folks.

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