.- During his homily last Sunday, Bishop Marcelo Martorell of Puerto Iguazu, Argentina told the faithful that the de-Christianization of society is a consequence of the actions by the Church’s own sons and daughters who have opted to pass laws that ignore the truth of the human person.
Speaking to thousands gathered for the Mass, the bishop said, “We are living in difficult times for the Church, times in which society is broken and the Church of God is harassed and denounced, times in which many do not want to see the spiritual and social good that the Church has spread across society throughout the centuries.”
“We are witnessing social circumstances that convey a great hatred for Jesus Christ and his Church,” the bishop continued. “Today the Church is attacked to discredit her,” he said, “and it seems that a crime or a scandal is only a crime or a scandal when committed by a priest, which is then reported over and over again ... until it becomes simply ridiculous.
“But even though it is ridiculous, it still brings harm upon the faith of her sons and daughters.”
Bishop Martorell stressed that the existence of sin in the Church must not be denied, because “sin exists due to our natural inclination towards it.” He added that, “but if the Church knows sin, she also knows the grace of conversion that leads her to say - like Mary in the Magnificat - that God has done great things in the world and in history, but above all in the hearts of men who have been transformed and given the capacity to be saints.”
“Today we are sadly seeing the de-Christianization of the West, which is pursuing opulence and wealth, without understanding that every good comes from God and that it is God himself who gives and takes away,” the bishop continued.
“Our very country is running the risk of making gods out of material things of losing sight of God. In the social and moral order, we have seen the injustice of recent laws that society does not want, and we have seen the very sons and daughters of the Church ‘impose’ these laws on us,” he added.
“We must pray for them, that they rediscover the ‘truth’ that should be the objective of their lives and mission. At the same time, when casting our ballots, we Christians must not forget who has stood up for the Gospel and the common good, especially for the good of the family and the future of our young people and children,” the bishop concluded.
