Today's Gospel was the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. I'd be willing to bet that many parishes heard "social gospel" pabulum from the pulpits and even invocations to "end poverty". Leaving alone the fact that the cry to "end poverty" actually lies in contradiction to Jesus' own words, let's look at some groups of people who might fall into the "rich man" or "Lazarus" categories: folks who fall off the radars in too many pulpits across the country.
We also remembered the victims of recent shootings. The Baltimore shootings happened within 60 miles of me so that's relatively close to home. However, I'd bet that yesterday in any five abortuaries in Maryland, at least an equal number of babies were wantonly slaughtered in their mothers' wombs. I submit that they are a group who would most definitely fit into the Lazarus group. How about their mothers? Into which group might they belong? It depends. I see too many cases where the mother is being dragged (often literally) into the mill by her parents, male companion, etc. In that case she too is Lazarus and these others are the rich man. The abortionists clearly fit into the "rich man" category, quite literally. I've been to their houses before to pray Stations of the Cross in front of them. They all live in the Potomac area, where every dwelling is a veritable mansion. Theirs' however, are more like impregnable fortresses.
But let's look at poverty for a moment. What's the biggest indicator that a child will find him/herself in poverty as they attain adulthood? If they grow up in a broken home, their chances of ending up poor are greatly increased, no matter the social strata in which they grew up. What influence leads to most broken homes? Contraception. When Paul VI wrote Humanae Vitae back in 1968, he predicted that if contraception became widely accepted, a whole host of social evils would ensue as a consequence. Every single one of his predictions is coming to pass as we draw our breaths!
Now how much do we hear of these diabolical attacks on marriage, family life, abortion, contraception etc do we hear from the pulpit? In the Archdiocese of Washington, way too little, particularly contraception. Homosexuality is another topic that is particularly taboo in the ADW. I know of at least two priests who preached on these topics over the years; both were punished. Here we have a clear case of the rich man (some "powers that be" in the chancery) denying truth to the Lazarus-people in their pews.
Below the jump break I'll post two videos - one by Venerable Fulton Sheen - telling the truth about contraceptives and their immense sinfulness. Only when our priests speak this forth from the pulpits will there be revival in the Church and in our Western civilization.
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