Bulletins
November 24, 2013
Download the Bulletin as a PDF p>In his homily at the annual Marriage Jubilee Mass a few days ago Bishop Loverde said, "We are all aware that the reality of true marriage is severely undermined by the increasingly secular, relativistic, and anti-Christian culture that surrounds us. We witness with sadness as our society tries to redefine marriage based on flawed arguments of freedom and equality. As a result, each of us has seen the devastating effects of this 'free-fall' of marriage, this most basic reality of human life."The Bishop of Springfield in Illinois offered "Prayers of Supplication and Exorcism in Reparation for the Sin of Same- Sex Marriage" in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception this past Wednesday the 20th of November at approximately the same time that Governor Pat Quinn was scheduled to sign into Illinois law the redefinition of civil marriage. "The context for this prayer service may be understood by recalling the words of Pope Francis when he faced a similar situation as Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 2010," Bishop Paprocki explained. Regarding the proposed redefinition of civil marriage in Argentina, then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio wrote on June 22, 2010: "The Argentine people must face, in the next few weeks, a situation whose result may gravely harm the family. It is the bill on matrimony of persons of the same sex. The identity of the family, and its survival, are in jeopardy here: father, mother, and children. The life of so many children who will be discriminated beforehand due to the lack of human maturity that God willed them to have with a father and a mother is in jeopardy. At stake is the total rejection of God's law engraved in our hearts. ... Let us not be naive: it is not a simple political struggle; it is an intention [which is] destructive of the plan of God. It is not a mere legislative project (this is a mere instrument), but rather a 'move' of the father of lies who wishes to confuse and deceive the children of God." Bishop Paprocki pointed out that, "the pope's reference to the 'father of lies' comes from the Gospel of John (8:44), where Jesus refers to the devil as 'a liar and the father of lies.' So Pope Francis is saying that same-sex 'marriage' comes from the devil and should be condemned as such." He also lamented the "many Catholic politicians [who] are responsible for enabling the passage of this legislation and even twisting the words of the pope to rationalize their actions despite the clear teaching of the church." Bishop Paprocki concluded, "Pope Francis has also urged us to be mindful of God's mercy, so it is good to recall the profound expression of divine mercy uttered by Jesus as he was dying on the cross to save us from our sins, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do' (Luke 23:34)."
Thanks be to God for His great mercy. The Lord promised to send us shepherds. May He bless our brave bishops.
Fr. Christopher J. Pollard
