By Judie Brown
St. John Paul II wrote that today, the Feast of the Assumption, we celebrate the moment when Mary was “taken up into heaven in the integrity of her body and soul.” He continues, “In the splendor of heavenly glory shines the One who, by reason of her humility, was made great in the sight of the Most High to the point that all generations call her blessed (cf. Lk 1:48). Now, as Queen, she sits beside her Son in the eternal happiness of paradise and looks upon her children from on high.”
This feast could not come at a more momentous time in our nation’s history given the fact that the adamantly pro-abortion Catholic president of the United States celebrates an act that negates motherhood in a most deadly way. Among the most recent bloodthirsty actions that his administration has taken is to include abortion in protections for pregnant workers.
OXYMORONIC? Yes! Morally bankrupt? Absolutely!
Some Catholic bishops are up in arms about this latest tactic, yet the provocative question remains: Why not simply excommunicate the man and be done with it? Perhaps the answer rests in these words spoken by USCCB Pro-Life Activities chairman, Bishop Michael Burbidge, “We supported the bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act because it enhanced the protection of pregnant mothers and their preborn children, which is something that we have encouraged Congress to prioritize.”
Burbidge continued, “To include accommodations for obtaining an abortion is wrong and contrary to the text, legislative history, and purpose of the act, which is to help make it possible for working mothers to remain gainfully employed, if desired, while protecting their health and that of their preborn children.”
Coming from a representative of Christ and His apostles, this support not only sickens me but exposes the nature of a body of bishops that is hopelessly politically correct, profoundly weak, and abysmally lost in the weeds of human respect. Somehow they have apparently adopted the idea that it is better to be culturally relevant than true to their Shepherd, Christ the Lord.
Some years ago Monsignor Charles Pope explained this problem, writing, “‘Human respect’ seems like a good thing. After all, we ought to respect, honor and appreciate one another. What then is meant by the ‘sin of human respect’? It is that sin wherein we fear man more than God; we are more concerned with what people think of us than what God thinks of us. This is an unholy, sinful fear, and is at the root of many of our sins, both of commission and of omission.”
It is clear to us that the president of the United States is stuck in the morass of unholy, sinful fear of public rejection. And sadly, it is deplorable to consider the possibility that our bishops are accomplices.
St. Paul’s loving words seem to have evaded Burbidge and his fellow bishops. In his letter to Timothy, Paul teaches that by gently urging, teaching, and correcting, “it may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, and that they may return to their senses out of the devil’s snare, where they are entrapped by him, for his will.”
However, that sort of pastoral love requires fortitude, fear of the Lord, and commitment to saving souls, whether it be the president of our nation or the citizens who are starving for truth. In my view, this absence of straight talk sends a message to the lost that is not very Christlike.
Mary, our mother—and the mother of every person created in the image and likeness of God—trampled the head of the serpent for a reason. Fr. Jerry Pokorsky teaches that when she proclaimed the Magnificat, Mary prophesies victory over evil in “every generation.”
And my prayer is that every priest ordained through the sacrament of holy orders will ponder Mary’s words and be bold in their resistance to evil, especially when it emanates from hedonists like President Biden.
Fr. Jerry Pokorsky teaches that every person faces the same temptations that Christ experienced. And when the subject is motherhood, not one of us should ever forget that Mary, our mother, is the reflection of motherhood, the woman who crushes the head of the serpent at every turn.
Mary, pray for us who have recourse to you; intercede with your Son for every mother that she may take inspiration from you rather than the moral pygmies of this world. Amen.