It is tragic when a Catholic diocese strives to make a pro-abortion politician comfortable in his sin. The deacon may not be "politically correct," but at least he won't be sentenced to Hell for appeasing the culture of death.
We all have a choice of which master to serve: Christ or the world. Deacon Tom McDonnell has chosen Christ while Rev. Smith and Bishop Kmiec have chosen differently. In an asinine statement released by Bishop Kmiec, Catholics of the Diocese of Buffalo, New York were told that, "The pulpit is not the appropriate place for confronting a member of the congregation. It is my belief that in situations like this, we are more effective when we have substantive, one-on-one conversations with individuals outside the context of the Mass.”
Translation: we should refrain from publically embarassing a politician who is in favor of killing innocent children in the womb. Apparently Bishop Kmiec would have had a problem with Saint Paul as well. For the Apostle to the Gentiles publically rebuked our first Pope (not for teaching error but for actions which were causing scandal):
"And when Kephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong. For, until some people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself, because he was afraid of the circumcised. And the rest of the Jews [also] acted hypocritically along with him, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not on the right road in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Kephas in front of all, 'If you, though a Jew, are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?'" (Galatians 2:11-14).
Paul publically rebuked Peter "in front of all" - or publically - because his attitude was wrong. By what right then does Bishop Kmiec criticize Deacon McDonnell for publically rebuking a politician who supports killing children in the womb?
A "gospel" which doesn't point out sin, a "gospel" which makes sinners comfortable in their sins, is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Such is a gospel from Hell.
Paul.
I'm not "educated" like Bishop Kmiec and Fr. Smith. So let's make sure I understand how things operate.
ReplyDeleteIt's wrong to publically rebuke a politician who favors abortion but it's right, just and proper to publically rebuke a Deacon who takes a pro-death politician to task for opposing Church teaching?
Got it.
What a shame that the pro-life message is not welcome in Buffalo. Slouching toward Gomorrah and shuffling off to Buffalo.
ReplyDeleteShame on the Bishop of Buffalo!