This won’t earn him a lot of friends in Massachusetts:
A Worcester Catholic school has flown the Pride and Black Lives Matters flags for more than a year, but now the Worcester bishop is calling for school leaders to take the flags down.
The Nativity School of Worcester, a Jesuit middle school, started flying the flags in January 2021. But in a statement, Bishop Robert J. McManus said the flags contradict the school’s teachings.
“The flag with the emblem Black Lives Matter has at times been coopted by some factions which also instill broad-brush distrust of police and those entrusted with enforcing our laws. We do not teach that in our schools,” McManus wrote in a statement, adding “And, while we teach that everyone is created in the image and likeness of God, gay pride flags are often used to stand in contrast to consistent Catholic teaching that sacramental marriage is between a man and a woman.”
Of course it’s a Jesuit school and of course they are pushing back and of course the media will go whole hog against the Bishop but he has Christ and the gospel on his side:
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matt 5:11,12
Apparently he not only knows his sermon on the mount but he knows his Ezekiel as well
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, speak thus to your countrymen: When I bring the sword against a country, and the people of this country select one of their number to be their watchman, and the watchman, seeing the sword coming against the country, blows the trumpet to warn the people, anyone hearing but not heeding the warning of the trumpet and therefore slain by the sword that comes against him, shall be responsible for his own death. He heard the trumpet blast yet refused to take warning; he is responsible for his own death, for had he taken warning he would have escaped with his life.
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the warning trumpet, so that the sword comes and takes anyone, I will hold the watchman responsible for that person’s death, even though that person is taken because of his own sin.
You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me. If I tell the wicked man that he shall surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked man from his way, he (the wicked man) shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you warn the wicked man, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.
Ezekiel: 33:1-9
You can always tell a churchman who actually believes in God when he takes that line seriously
Pray for the Bishop. He is going to be attacked without mercy.