Chris McDonnell, UK
christymac733@gmail.com

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September 19, 2018

Write a letter or two!

The opening song on Paul McCartney's 2012 Album was made famous by Fats Waller in 1935. It begins with these lines:

I'm gonna sit right down
And write myself a letter
And make believe it came from you.

Over many centuries, letters have been exchanged about anything and everything. They tell a continuing story of relationships, of excitement, of stress and conflict, some written in haste, others crafted with care and consideration. They tell us a great deal, not just on the matter of factual content; they tell us a background story of those exchanging a letter. The texture of their lives is woven in the words they write and they remain an historic record of a point of view. The five volumes of letters sent by Thomas Merton to an extensive variety of correspondents give us a vivid picture of his relationships. How he managed such a wide-ranging correspondence within the restrictions of the monastic day has always puzzled me.

Literature is littered with love letters, exchanged between young people seeking to develop a personal relationship. Words are sought to express a love that each is experiencing, hoping that it might lead to a long term commitment. When there is distance between people, the exchange of letters helps to keep contact alive.

'Thank-you' letters show the courtesy of gratitude after some form of gift. They show that we don't take a kindness for granted. The acknowledgement might be brief, but it is important that it is made. In a similar way, the letter of congratulation is a welcome recognition of achievement. Other letters that are preserved by their recipients are often given the title 'last letters', those few words of salutation and affection are treasured for what they contain and for who wrote them.

When a person in public life resigns, or is sacked, there is often an exchange of letters, published in the public domain, that offer thanks, acknowledge an opportunity to serve and give good wishes for the future. The sincerity of the comments has to be judged within the known context of events that gave reason for their writing. The phrase 'tongue in cheek' often comes to mind.

Before typewriters and more recently, lap tops, letters were hand-written, crafted with care, or rushed notes, mistakes and all. And they were signed with the mark, the signature of the sender. They were personal and their authenticity verified.

The Zinoviev Letter, published by the Daily Mail in 1924 during a UK General election campaign is now acknowledged to have been a scandalous forgery. It was an attempt to link the Left in British politics with the emerging Communist government in Russia. The damage done by deliberate lies put into the public domain can be far-reaching.

That is why we must view with concern the recent release of the letter under the signature of the retired Nuncio to the US, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, in which he made serious allegations relating the McCarrick affair. It is important that the detail it contains is verified or rejected; it cannot be left to float around doing untold damage to the Church and to Francis in particular.

Letters in the early Church were a vital and necessary way of teaching the Gospel. After visiting a community and spending time instructing the people on the message of Jesus, the apostles wrote to reinforce faith with words. Peter, James, Timothy and Paul all used this teaching tool and their words were shared, valued to the extent that along with the Gospels, they were incorporated into the New Testament. To this day, we listen to their teaching in the liturgy of the Word each time we share the Eucharist.

The anonymous letter is both damaging and, to a degree, cowardly. Spelling out a point of view can be a matter of courage yet its value is diminished if the writer fails to own it with their signature. The uproar in the US after the publication of the recent op-ed text in the NYT, purportedly written by a serving White House official, clearly demonstrates this point. As much as the content of the New York Times piece, seeking the identity of the author made the news.

Every newspaper or journal, offers its readers the opportunity of responding to articles through a letter to the Editor. In this way an alternative point of view, a correction to a text or further support for a printed position can be made. The editor always reserves the right to publish or not, looking for balance in views that are expressed.

Writing letters, exchanging ideas, sharing a position is largely now a matter for email or its slimmer cousin Twitter. Write to someone other than yourself. Just remember to press the SEND button.

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