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September 29, 2020By Tanya ConnorThe Catholic Free PressWORCESTER - Bishop McManus spoke out against “ d eath-dealing” bills in the Massachusetts L egislature Monday night at a novena where special prayers are said for the sick and dying.It was Christ the King Parish’s ninth annual Novena to St. Joseph, Jesus’ foster father, being held Mondays from 7:15-8 p.m. through Nov. 9, “to pray for the seriously and terminally ill and to stop doctor-prescribed suicide.”People send in names of those they are requesting prayers for, and those names are read during the novena, which also includes other prayers, songs, adoration and a Scr ipture reading.Bishop McManus is a champion of all things pro-life, Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan, the pastor, said in welcoming him . The congregation applauded .The bishop , this week’s guest speaker , looked at current issues , what popes have said , and what St. Joseph did not say.He called for imploring St. Joseph’s protection “ as our beloved country is still experiencing the fear and uncertainty caused by the ongoing pandemic and as we witness a disturbing level of violence in the streets and neighborhoods of our cities, and as our legislature is looking at bills that are death-dealing .”One bill would not allow babies surviving abortion attempts to get medical attention, he said, speaking of the ROE Act .Another bill would promote physician-assisted suicide, even as other forms of suicide plague society and police too are tak ing their own lives, he said.“Is this what we need in our c ommonwealth?” he asked. “That is a disgrace, and it cries out to h eaven.”Bishop McManus began by talking about retired Pope Benedict XVI ’s visit to St. Joseph’s Seminary in New York in 2008. He recalled the pope asking young people especially, “What is God whispering to you?”It was fitting to ask that at a seminary dedicated to a man who changed the course of history by listening to what God whispered to him, the bishop said.Joseph never speaks in the Gospels, but is called “the Just Man” because his holiness was root ed not in his speech but his faith-filled actions, Bishop McManus said. Listening to God’s whisperings, he responded in faith by protecting Mary and Jesus , saving them from death.Joseph set an example for the young Jesus of what it means to obey God. And although we don’t have information about his death, we can be sure he died a happy death , the bishop said. S o , for centuries the Church has instructed Catholics to pray to St. Joseph, patron of a happy and holy death.Bishop McManus recalled Pope Francis imploring St. Joseph with intense emotion to guide his ministry and protect the universal Church , as he inaugurated that ministry.Pope Francis , when facing difficulties, writes things down and puts them with a statue of St. Joseph sleeping, Bishop McManus said. He said he too has such a statue in his office and he cannot say how many papers are under it.The bishop called for following St. Joseph’s example and listening to God’s whisperings, so as to do his will, for his glory and the C h urch’s good.
