In the Gospel, as Jesus prepares to leave His disciples, He prays to His Father, telling Him, that He had protected and guarded His disciples, and now asks His Father to keep them from the Evil One. Our Lord consecrates them in the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit.
And in the Acts of the Apostles, as St. Paul similarly readies to leave the disciples. He tells them to keep watch over themselves, and the whole flock, which the Holy Spirit has appointed them as overseers. He states some will pervert the truth, to draw the disciples away. St. Paul knows savage wolves will come among them, and not spare the flock. He describes how he had been vigilant, and admonished the disciples in tears.
Today, the truth continues to be proclaimed, despite those who are perverting the truth. When Pope Benedict went to Portugal, in May of 2010, he boldly proclaimed the truth that homosexual marriages and abortion do great harm to society. The pope’s visit was in response the Portuguese government who before the pope’s visit created a bill that would permit abortion and recognize homosexual marriages. Despite the Pope’s visit and the Pope’s plea to not do so, the president of Portugal went ahead and signed the bill into law.
One of our former bishops, Bishop Olmstead from the diocese of Phoenix boldly proclaimed the truth about abortion as a Catholic hospital in Phoenix permitted an abortion there. Bishop Olmstead said that the person who performed the abortion and the Catholic who obtained the abortion was automatically excommunicated.
He also said that the religious sister, who was president of the hospital and gave permission for the abortion was also excommunicated. The bishop eventually would remove the hospital of its Catholic identity and now the hospital can no longer call itself Catholic.
Today, the truth is being perverted in so many ways. Let us pray for the pope, for cardinals, bishops and for priests, may they will to protect the flocks entrusted to them by boldly proclaiming the truth, despite persecution.
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