Let GOD arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let all who hate Him flee before His Holy Face.
~Psalm 67
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let all who hate Him flee before His Holy Face.
~Psalm 67
I went to a talk from a “Courageous Priest” Bishop Paprocki. He too gave the same stance, as Bishop Crodileone did on the defense of Marriage, at the Athenaeum of Ohio. At the end of this talk, however, he had a question and answer session. The last question was: As a Catholic, can I attend a homosexual wedding of one of my family members. You are probably thinking the same as I was “NO” but, that was not this “Courageous Bishops” answer. His answer was “That would depend” and “he would not damage a family relationship by not attending”. I was in shock. I even said out loud “What”. He then said: “You could make up some excuse, why you couldn’t attend, saying you have to wash your car or something” he also said that you could attend the reception. Why? You shouldn’t be happy that they have just excommunicated themselves from GOD so how could you, with a good conscience, attend the reception?
My problem with these statements are:
1 .Offending GOD first and foremost by attending.
2. Severing the relationship? It seems to me the persons asking you to attend this service are the ones severing the relationship, not you for not attending.
3. Saying you were not available because you were washing your car, would be a lie, so on top of saying, to attend knowing that it would be a sin but to top it off, condoning a lie.
4. Finally Jesus told us that He didn’t come to bring peace to the earth, He came to bring the sword. Douay-Rheims Matthew 10:34.
This confuses the faithful. How does this help us, when our bishops are divided in teaching us the Truth? What I have learned is, we Catholics aren’t even supposed to attend a wedding of a Catholic and a non-Catholic if it is not in a Catholic Church, unless there has been a dispensation from the Bishop.
I go back to Jesus, when He was talking in in the synagogue at Capharnaum to the Jews in:
(John 10:54-60) Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. 55 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. 56 For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. 57 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him. 58 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me. 59 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that eateth this bread, shall live for ever. 60 These things he said, teaching in the synagogue, in Capharnaum.
Jesus didn’t say to the Jews who left “Wait, come back, or hey wait lets compromise” no, He let them go. We have to have “Faith” and stand in the “Truth” given to us by Jesus in the Bible,to know what we are to do and not do. We should look to the Church Doctors and consistent teaching. It seems apparent to me that many of our bishops need a refresher course in what we are supposed to believe and follow as Catholics, who are trying to get to Heaven. Lying and cheating and doing things we know that God would not look fondly on, is not the way to get there. We are all called to be saints, when we sin we separate ourselves from God and the Beatific Vision.
It seems easier to “Talk the Talk” than it is to “Walk the Walk”.
Pray for our Bishops, priests. Pray for them now more than ever, I do.
"Keep close to the Catholic Church at all times, for the Church alone can give you true peace, since she alone possesses Jesus, the true Prince of Peace, in the Blessed Sacrament."
~St.Padre Pio of Peitrelcina
