Fr. Joseph Jenkins
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It is precisely this internal forum and the seal of the sacrament that is being threatened by politicians, law enforcement those pursuing litigation in light of the clergy scandals.
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“We can end child sex trafficking in Uganda. The bad guys aren’t smarter than us. We can end this. We can outsmart them. We can beat them to the kids. We can protect them.” (CLICK the picture to read the article.)
Filed under: Discipleship, Faith, Family, Morality, Sexuality, Sin, Social Justice | Leave a comment »
There is often a modern disconnect between parents and children that is quite disturbing. Children spend time playing with tablets or on the computer or listening to their music or watching TV but there is little or no dialogue in the home. Increasingly parents and children are living separate lives even though they live under the same roof. The issue with music is very telling. When I sampled a listing of preferred songs from our confirmation teens a few years ago I was shocked at the level of vulgarity and obscenity in the lyrics. When I brought the issue to parents there were two main responses. Some of the parents were surprised as they had no idea as to what their children were listening. Generations earlier teens had huge speakers and stereos that announced to the whole neighborhood what music young people preferred. Parents would shout, “Turn it down!” and “How can you listen to that garbage!” Nevertheless, the music was tame compared to modern material. Females today are called “b’s and hoes” and rape and murder are regular themes in the provocative and angry music. Indeed, even the pop music drops the “f-bomb” and other obscenities. Given that most music is downloaded as mp3s with no physical element like vinyl, tape or a disk— parents do not see what the kids are buying or pirating. Further, the new technology makes music entertainment somewhat clandestine. Music devices are the size of old matchboxes or just another application on phones. Ear buds have replaced bulky earphones and a loud concert takes place in their heads while there is quiet in their rooms. I urged parents to take note as to what their children were listening and to offer real guidance. The response of surprise I expected. However, there was also a response from parents I did not expect— some of them defended the musical choices of their teens and attacked me as being insensitive for offering a negative critique and possibly even racism against the black subculture. Now it should be said that some of the vulgar music emanated from white singers and bands. Nevertheless, instead of taking helpful criticism, they went on the offensive. Parents have to make a fundamental decision— when it comes to the moral development of children, are you going to be part of the solution or part of the problem?
When computers and the internet first became fashionable, many concerned families placed the machines in family rooms to help avoid the temptation of watching pornography and other questionable sites. This helped both children and adults. However, today every tablet and phone is essentially a portable computer. Indeed, many use them also as television sets. How do families manage this technology in a way that preserves the purity and decency of children? Even with virus and parental guidance software, how do we balance a desire to be protective while not violating personal freedom? These are the kinds of issues that families as people of faith should discuss. The formation of catechesis at school and in the parish can quickly be sidelined or short-circuited by the non-Christian or anti-Catholic formation of the secular media and online predators. Having a phone was once regarded as a privilege given an older teenager. Today, even young children are being given devices, especially with the disappearance of pay phones. Parents want a quick and easy way to stay in touch with their children. Unfortunately, parents are not the only ones communicating with them.
I have seen teens at gatherings run away from their parents. They complain about the rules with which they must abide. Parents lament that their teenagers share little about their lives and refuse to talk with them. It can be frustrating but parents should not surrender their power.
Do not give the kids everything they want. Witness to them responsibility and good behavior. Set down rules that have a definite purpose and never dictate in either a capricious or tyrannical manner. Make your kids talk with you. Keep insisting until they give in. Do not be afraid to take away privileges when there is rebellion or misbehavior.
We often hear the moral exhortation about not going through the motions of faith for show. Generally speaking, this is good advice because God sees the truth about our faith level and the intentions behind all the things we do. Nevertheless, when it comes to family and the home, parents should both in word and action externalize their faith and values for the children to see. This is no violation of humility, but rather an effort to establish a clear and positive pattern of living one’s Christianity in all the things we do.
Show your children what it means to be a Christian man and woman, a husband and wife, and a father and mother. Do not be afraid of repetition. This will help the youth to learn.
Given the current scandals in the Church, many are rightly demanding transparency. This quality is also vital in the family as any duplicity will steal the value of any external witness. As people of prayer, let the children see you pray and invite them to pray with you. Mothers and fathers alike have an important role to play. The father in Christian tradition is viewed as the priest of his home. The children are his little flock. He has a special obligation to protect and to nurture his family. He must insure that the children know their catechism and prayers. The wife is imaged as Mother Church. She has a role to play to insure their relationship with Jesus and to appreciate the twofold commandment of love in all its implications. Just as disciples in the Church have many differing gifts, so too does the domestic church or the family. Divine gifts are given to be used. Each has a role to play in the family’s growth in holiness and grace.
When children come to catechism class and they do not know their prayers, it is a sure bet that they are not praying at home. Rather than condemning parents for their negligence, I urge them to see today as a brand new day. It is in Christ that wayward lives can be turned around. I tell parents repeatedly, pray with your children. Conversing with God— coming into communion or union with him— this is essential to remaining a believer.
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Families are very busy these days. Husbands and wives work outside the home. Many feel that two incomes are mandatory if they are to make it. This lifestyle choice must be balanced with childcare needs and schools. I have detected from some parents a below the surface resentment toward the homeschooling families where the wife and mother (but more rarely the husband and father) stays home to teach and to care for children. Similarly, a number of homeschooling families are negative about couples who both work and send their children to public or even parochial schools. There should be a common respect toward all and the basic decisions that Christians make while still preserving their Catholic identity. There is no one perfect formula for raising children. This is not to ignore the many wrong roads that families might pursue, especially when faith is eliminated as a factor in their lives. Children may have been baptized, at the urging of grandparents, but millions have experienced no faith formation. Such families do not pray together and if they go to Mass it is limited to Easter and Christmas. News of scandals in the Church is taken as validation for the distance they have made with the Church, thus subduing any latent guilt. The children know little to nothing about Jesus and the saints. I knew one young woman who was raised in such an environment. She came to see me as a priest when she wanted to get married. Everything was about the accidentals of the ceremony; she knew nothing about the value of marriage as a sacrament that pointed to the covenant of Christ with his Church. I eventually stopped everything to ask a basic question, “Who is Jesus?” She looked at me with a blank expression on her face and said, “I suppose he was a nice man.” That was all she knew. She had no relationship with the God who came down from heaven, was made man by the power of the Holy Spirit, and who surrendered his life so that she might know the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Her baptism was treated as no more than magic or spiritual insurance. No follow up had been made for faith formation. It would be a long process for her to appreciate the third to get married— that Jesus must be the third ring linking the other two in her marriage if it were to be a sacrament. Much would have to be unlearned and the vacuum of ignorance would have to be filled. I did my best to bring her up to speed so that she would know the Lord as she should. She had yet to appreciate that Jesus Christ was more than a nice man. He was the Christ and our Savior. Couples sometimes complain about the six month waiting period before marriage and the preparation required. However, I not only think it is essential, it is probably not enough. Pope Francis has suggested that given the impoverished faith of people, that marriage preparation should be more lengthy and in-depth, like RCIA and adult catechetical instructions. We have to break the cycle of ignorance breeding another generation of ignorance.
One of the most devastating errors of modernity is that religion is peripheral to our lives. No one has time for prayer and worship but there is always time for work and play. Sporting activities take precedence over Sunday Mass. Hundreds of dollars will be spent on concerts and ball games but there are complaints about the five to ten dollars that might be placed in the church collection plate. Make people mad or say what they do not want to hear and even those few funds disappear. If that were not enough, the Church has literally shot herself in the foot with the scandals surrounding clergy.
Not only must families make time for the religious formation of their children, by rights, they should be the principal educators in the ways of faith. The question must be raised, “When do you as parents talk about faith with your children?” While there are parents doing what they are supposed to do, the response from others is often convoluted and unclear. Why? It is because this necessary discussion is rarely or not taking place.
How can we resolve this? I think it is important for families to earmark time to talk about the faith with its members. Let us look at some suggestions:
While Jesus and the apostles walked from place to place, people today drive almost everywhere. We also spend a lot of time each day in automobiles. Hours are spent by many commuting back and forth to work. There are carpools for children going to school. Families drive to sporting events, concerts, to vacation sites, etc. While driving in the car, families can do more than listen to the radio, play on their tablets or list out-of-state license plates. Families can turn off the gadgets and take out their rosaries. Praying together is always a fundamental way of growing in the faith. The mysteries of the rosary are literally signposts to the saving works of Christ. Families can also talk about how things are going in their lives. It must also be said, especially given accidents, that we should pray for safety before a trip and render a prayer of thanks at the end. When I bless cars I invoke the Madonna of the Streets, sometimes humorously retitled, Our Lady of the Highways. There are also customs that need to be kept while on the road. When encountering a funeral procession, my father would pull over and we would say a decade of the rosary for the poor soul. When we saw an ambulance, we would offer a quick Hail Mary for the sick or hurt person. Whenever we drove before a Catholic church, we would make the Sign of the Cross. Who knows, if such habits returned, maybe we would see a decrease in dangerous road rage? If we must turn on the radio, there is nothing wrong with adding religious or Christian music to our driving experience.
We often look at sick time as time wasted. We lose work hours and children miss school. God frequently draws good from evil. No one likes being sick, but we can still extract something positive from the experience. Indeed, it can become a graced time for spiritual reading, prayer and bonding with children in faith. It is also an occasion to ponder the sacrifices that Jesus made to redeem us. Children often think that they are as invulnerable as the superheroes of comics. However, in truth our mortality and dependence upon God is worthy of reflection and a discussion with family members.
It is said that instead of talking, families become comatose in front of television sets. As an alternative to the latest sleazy cable show or formula comedy, parents could be more selective about their viewing habits. Not only do they want to avoid bad witness in watching shows that degrade human dignity; they can deliberately find worthwhile programs and films that depict elements of faith and values for discussion as a family. Indeed, some families even develop libraries of DVDs and put together their own discussion questions based upon them. These films do not all have to be strictly religious like The Passion of the Christ or the The Song of Bernadette. I have given retreats where we have discussed secular films with important messages: The Boy Who Could Fly, The Mighty, The Perfect Game, Paper Planes, Spare Parts, etc.
There are also traditional times for prayer and gathering that should be utilized in forming the youth in faith. Grace Before Meals and Prayers of Thanksgiving afterwards remind us that all we have is a gift from God. Sitting together at the dinner table is not a time for texting on phones or playing on tablets. Families should share a fellowship meal and share something about each other. Often imaged as a place of confrontation, the family supper table should be viewed as a precious time for bonding. That is why inviting a guest to dinner is more than just setting an extra plate. It is an invitation to come into the intimate circle of the family. The one guest that should always be there is the Lord. Another traditional time for prayer is prior to going to bed. A child should have the habit of saying prayers before going to sleep. When children are young, parents should help them and pray with them. When their children become teens it is still good to pray with them from time to time and even to discuss needs to be brought to the Lord. Especially important in these discussions is the meaning of prayer itself as diversified communication with the Lord. Too many reduce prayer to petition and neglect praise, thanksgiving and contrition.
Almost any time can be made a time for prayer, spiritual reflection and discussion on themes of faith. Vacations are especially good because of the control families then have over the schedule. Indeed, fun in the sun or skiing on the slopes can also become a retreat time with bible reading and special devotions. Some families make a habit of visiting other churches and praying at religious pilgrimage sites. Families should not worry about becoming religious “fanatics.” That is a label or charge imposed by those with little to no faith. You cannot love the Lord too much. We belong to him. He is a jealous God. All things in this world are passing. Faith in Christ assures our place in eternity.
One of my favorite “old time” television programs is The Andy Griffith Show. Not only were the characters sometimes shown at church or praying or singing hymns, but there were also beautiful scenes of one-to-one time between Andy and his son Opie. The fishing scenes were particularly memorable. When I think back to my own time with my father, a number of conversations come to mind. My father was a simple man and yet he was a dedicated Catholic. His faith was black and white with few grays. He passed on his clarity to me. He said, “Either get married or be a priest— that is it. Never abandon the Church. It would be better to die than to ever betray your Catholic faith!” His views became my own. My mother complemented his faith with her own values for modesty and prudence. Together, they taught us to be good and to treat others with respect.
My parents loved each other and sacrificed for their children. They were dedicated to each other. No matter what fights or discouragements came their way, they were utterly committed to each other. They would have as many children as God would give them. Marriage was until natural death. Divorce was never an option on the table. Our home became a real and secure refuge from the challenges to faith and the changing values of our society.
My father encouraged my vocation. I became a priest. I remember my father’s great joy on my ordination today. Parallel to his views about the permanence of marriage, my father remarked, “You belong to the Church now. You will be a priest, forever.” My parents taught me to honor the dignity of persons and the sanctity of life. They also modeled for me an abiding honesty in all my dealings. They did not have much in the way of money and stuff to share, but they gave me and my siblings the gifts that most mattered— our lives, our faith and our values.
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We often speak about the failure to transmit the faith to children as entirely the fault of the culture in which we find ourselves. However, this is only part of the challenge. As ministers, teachers and parents we need an aggressive witness from our families and faith communities. First, when it comes to those elements in society that are diametrically opposed to the Gospel, we must be visible signs of contradiction with a decisive and convincing alternative message. We must quite literally become physical and spiritual roadblocks to those who would travel the path to perdition. Further, we must find ways to make the truths of Christ more convincing and enticing than the exotic and sinful lures of the world. It is in this that we become signposts to the proverbial “road less traveled.” While walls against persons and immigrants are controversial; there should be no dispute for barriers against deadly sin.
“Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).
If these poisons find a weakness in our fortifications then they will raid and destroy us from the inside.
Second, whenever possible, we must make serious efforts to either transform or to dilute the negative or neutral elements in society, making them work for us and not against us as believers. This requires quite a bit of creativity. For instance, one critic condemns Harry Potter stories as an introduction to witchcraft and Satanism; another tries to find Christian themes within the metaphors of fantasy. Admittedly, it will never be as effective as THE LORD OF THE RINGS but since it is not going away, is there a way to read these stories and watch these movies within a Christian worldview and sensibility? I remember years ago there was a priest on radio who would play the current musical pop hits while giving mini-sermons on them and sometimes pointing out where the sentiments in the songs reflected Christian themes and/or where they could lead us wrong. Whenever possible, we should seek to further discussions with the young and not rely entirely on the language of prohibition. The latter often appeals to the rebelliousness that is naturally characteristic of teens. We cannot utterly protect our children from what our world holds out; however, we can better empower them to face modernity with knowledge and proper discretion.
Too often the negative attitudes of children and teens are merely mimicked from the patterns they observe in how their parents approach faith. Too many departmentalize the role of religion and its values while others practically dismiss it altogether. Parents and families may not be entirely Sunday Christians and Weekday Devils; but they may lack any fire to take their faith on mission into the world around them. While the image of the soldier and the Church Militant may not be popular today; we should be even more averse to being reduced to passive pawns of a secular and humanistic modernity that is in enmity with Christ’s kingdom. The best of Christian parents have a real struggle on their hands and their offspring will be their “own” people; but those that never worship together at Mass, rarely pray and daily live as if there be no God— they have surrendered the battle for souls before it could even begin. Divine grace may yet save their children, but it will be in spite of them. It would be so much better if they were instruments for God’s gifts of faith and holiness.
Passing on the faith is not simply a head trip, although the importance of facts cannot be eliminated from the equation. However, this process, if we can call it that, must be to energize the dynamic of the domestic church. Parents and older siblings should model faith to the younger ones. All are called to a genuine personal and corporate relationship with Jesus Christ. Too often the weak faith of children is mirrored in the malnourished faith of the parents. Many adults suffer from poor or bad catechesis. Many do not pray as they should or have an impoverished notion as to the importance and meaning of prayer. If the children have their catechetical books, do the parents have theirs? Is daily family prayer a staple of their living? Do families open their bibles so as to create inroads for God’s communication with them? Do families talk about or even list the intentions that they bring to the Sunday liturgy?
What is the first step in trying to form the child in the faith? It begins with a transformation and rededication of parental hearts. Mothers and fathers must acknowledge their privileged vocation as Christian parents and the spiritual role that they should play. If children are to be spiritually fed and guided, then parents must first be nourished and strong in the faith. How many times have I heard parents say that they learned something by looking at their children’s catechism books? This is not bad but it sad when a thirty or forty year old person admits that he or she only has a second grade level understanding of the faith. It is even more bizarre when children come home speaking with enthusiasm about their encounter with Jesus and the parents are befuddled since they are essentially strangers to the Lord. The first step in raising a child in the faith begins with the spiritual life and religious formation of the parents. Their values will become those of the children. Indeed, often the anger parents express toward children when they fail to do religion homework or when they do something sinful is misdirected— they blame children for what is really their own guilt.
Parents need to get themselves in order so that they will be there in an effective manner for the children. I often tell parents to share their walk with the Lord in their faith-talk. Some people, usually those with hardened hearts, argue that asking for forgiveness is a sign of weakness. However, the opposite is true. It takes courage for a person to admit fault and to ask for forgiveness. We are all sinners. One of the greatest witnesses that a parent can give his or her children, especially during the teen years, is the willingness and honesty to admit fault, to fall upon one’s knees, and to trust in the strength and mercy of God. Our children will also make mistakes and take wrong turns. This witness will show them the way back home to the Lord.
Questions for Parents
Filed under: Catechesis, Discipleship, Evangelization, Faith, Formation, Reflection, Religion | Leave a comment »
The clergy abuse issue just never seems to let up. Today there was a headline in THE WASHINGTON POST, “Three Teens Allege Abuse by Catholic Priest in D.C.” A Capuchin parochial vicar from Sacred Heart Church was charged with a single count of second degree sexual abuse and brought to the D.C. Superior Court in shackles.
The dark tragedy of clerical abuse of minors conflicts with a core element of the Church’s identity. The mission of every priest is to be a spiritual father— teaching, nurturing and healing his flock. The center of the priestly vocation is his role as a vehicle for the forgiveness of sins. Any priest who would harm or corrupt others stands in stark violation of his sacred calling and the mission of the Church. When the scandals first emerged, many disbelieved the allegations and assumed that none of it could be true. Today, that mentality can no longer be substantiated. While individual cases may or may not be credible, the issue is real and some priests have failed us and violated the trust we had in them. Excuses cannot be made.
Given the type of violation we are discussing, it must be admitted that efforts at healing will fall short. How does one restore trust when it is violated so egregiously? Clergy abuse of minors signifies a profound attack against innocence that leaves a lasting wound. That is why people come forward decades after such assaults. Lives are changed forever. Many of those assaulted abandon the faith. Others are hampered in their later relationships and suffer from trust issues.
The comeback that “we are all sinners” does little to soften the blow about such infidelity. Yes, it is true that the history of the faith is one where corruption and sin has infected both leaders and followers. But, we argue as well that the true legacy of the faith is written with the lives of the saints. We have not always been successful at the discernment of spirits. We struggle to distinguish those who really walk in holiness and those who only put on a show. The Church is holy because Christ is holy and the Church is his mystical body. This is the case, even though the Church is composed of sinners.
The apparent but largely unreported fact that abuse is even more pervasive outside the Church does nothing to ease our disappointment and shame about misbehaving clergy. The Church should be above such violations of decency. We rightly expect a lot of our priests. Celibacy which should be the shining treasure of Catholic ministry is subjected to ill-repute and questioned as either the cause or situation that enabled wrong doing. Apologists argue that the celibacy is not the problem but rather the solution— if priests will follow through with their promises. What we need are shepherds and laity courageous enough to embrace the hard truths that confront us and to fully cooperate with God’s grace in the sacraments toward the cleansing of our ministries. This will necessitate a full acquisition of the truth; in other words, a realization that the problem is not largely one of pedophilia but of sexually disordered and frustrated men who are mostly but not entirely homosexual. The proof of the pudding is the number of pederasts who have also broken their promises with adults and older teens. Of course, if such men kept their promises this discussion and need for purification would be largely mute. However, promises have been broken and in ways that demonstrate a lack of commitment to faith, holiness and prayer. They loved God too little and sought satisfaction where it was forbidden to them.
What most of us once regarded as rare and aberrational has proven to be more serious than we imagined and devastating for thousands of children and their families. Compounding the problem, many wrongly targeted the victims and witnesses that came forward for resulting scandal instead of disciplining rogue clergy and removing them from ministry. We must continue corrective efforts. We must perfect policies to protect our youth while insuring a process that safeguards innocent clergy from charges that are not credible. My worry today is that there is an intense malice that clouds the subject, one that focuses upon any and all clergy, regardless of the truth. Mercy toward the guilty will not bring restoration to ministry or escape from censures and punishment. Justice toward the innocent must protect the rights and sacerdotal dignity of priests who may be falsely charged or condemned by association.
Reflecting upon how we might personally respond to the scandals facing the Church, here is a good list:
Filed under: Catholic, Celibacy, Devil, Discipleship, Faith, Family, Fatherhood, Forgiveness, Fornication, Homosexuality, Modesty, Morality, Priests, Repentance, Sexuality, Sin, Social Justice | 2 Comments »
There are now more witches in America than Presbyterians. Sorcery is on the rise and it is more than fun-and games.
Filed under: Anti-Catholicism, Devil, Discipleship, Exorcism, Halloween | 1 Comment »
ARTICLE: “Want to leave the Catholic Church? Officially you can’t” by Dan Waidelich.
SOURCE & DATE: Washington Post – October 22, 2018.
REFLECTION:
The reporter notes that Mary Combs left the Church 15 years ago over the clergy sexual abuse scandals in Boston. We are told that she looked at “the collection basket, imagining the money paying off victims.”
While one can readily appreciate how terribly she was disheartened, there was nothing particularly noble or heroic about her personal defection. While such scandals, then and now, should make the laity angry— the proper response is not to run away but to stick it out and fight. It may be that the clergy are overly identified with the faith; but the laity constitutes the largest segment of the Church. She should have looked at that collection basket and realized that “there” in the purse strings is power to compel reform. This is not blackmail. The laity as a matter of justice can demand that the resources they share go to building up the kingdom and not be squandered in covering up for sin or for appeasing greed and ambition.
Unfortunately, anger spoke louder than her own calling or mission as a disciple. Indeed, it also eclipsed the many needs that emerge from charity toward the poor and the hurting. Despite the presence of evil in her ministerial ranks, the Church still does much good for the disadvantaged and the oppressed. Indeed, Catholic Charities is the largest and most active social outreach organization, just behind the U.S. government. Mary Combs walked away from that element of her discipleship in the Church because she was upset by weak and sinful men.
Judas signified one-twelfth of the world’s bishop-priests in 33 AD. He betrayed Christ and later committed suicide. Did everyone who had followed Christ leave the Church because of his sin? No. They realized that despite human iniquity, Jesus was indeed their Messiah, Savior and Lord. Peter, the first of many popes of the Church, fearfully denied even knowing Christ when Jesus was being tried. Nevertheless, our resurrected Lord would respond to his affirmations of love by restoring his authority as the visible head of the Church. Just as we shake our heads today at the clericalism of our priests and how ambition sometimes overshadows servanthood, we can also recall James and John asking for a special place at Christ’s right and left. Similarly, the apostles argue among themselves as to who is the greatest. And yet, when the going got tough, all but John ran and went into hiding. At the Last Supper they had each been given the authority sacramentally to re-present the mystery of Christ’s paschal mystery and his saving oblation in “memory” of him. But when they had the opportunity to walk physically with Christ to Calvary, there was only one apostle who accompanied him to the Cross so as to witness the mystery firsthand.
“Now there’s this Pennsylvania scandal,” Combs said. “Hundreds of priests abusing thousands of parishioners and a coverup that went all the way to the Vatican — again.” We are told that she now attends Grace Lutheran Church in Virginia. This is no solution either. Once a Catholic, always a Catholic. While even Protestant churches have their own scandals, they are historically also breakaway institutions from Catholic unity. They may possess certain saving elements which they took with them from Catholicism, i.e. the Scriptures, faith in Christ and baptism. Sadly, they have also forfeited a genuine priesthood and Eucharist. This signals that her defection is rooted, not just in a repugnance to clerical scandal, but in a lack of a true and complete Christian faith. We are told that she took comfort when the Pennsylvania stories broke, in knowing that she was done with Catholicism. Unfortunately, while we leave judgment to God, he will judge her not as a Lutheran but as a Catholic.
The current scandals should not confirm Mary Combs and those like her in their defection. Indeed, it should be a clarion call for all to come back and to make right that which has gone wrong. Those who have courageously stayed with the Church must demand a full accounting of past misdeeds, transparency in the future and a purging of those persons from ministry who can no longer be trusted. There needs to be a genuine purification and reform. This must be done by those who have remained faithful and those who have repented of their own failures or defection so as not to be part of the problem but of the solution.
Jesus instituted the Church and gave us ministers and sacraments so as to provide for his people. He did not say that the Church would always be perfect, only that he would sustain her and that she would be made holy by the bridegroom, Christ. The devil has had a hand in the corruption of churchmen. Violations of priestly celibacy as with other sins can be healed by our merciful Lord and even forgiven by God’s faithful people; however, those who have harmed minors and those who have engaged in same-sex acts have no place in the priesthood.
The Washington Post article, while heavily focused on the issue of clergy abuse, actually targeted the question as to whether one could technically leave the Catholic Church. Rev. Thomas Ferguson, vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Va., affirmed what Catholics should already know that it is impossible to defect from the Catholic Church. Our affiliation with the Catholic faith is stamped upon our souls at baptism. It is the Church directly instituted by Christ. Any movement away from that Church distances us from our Lord.
The original Protestant churches were regarded as groupings of fallen-away or lapsed Catholics. Over time, many were born and raised in these communities, never juridically united or formed within the fullness of the Catholic faith community. What might merit them through ignorance will not satisfy for Catholics who should know better.
Filed under: Apologetics, Apostles, Archdiocese, Bishops, Celibacy, Church, Discipleship, Faith, Forgiveness, Heaven, Homosexuality, Mass, Morality, News, Religion, Repentance | 1 Comment »
Those who hate the Catholic Church are falling over themselves in blaming pedophile clergy for the abuse and scandals. They absolutely refuse to acknowledge that the majority of cases are instances of homosexual pederasty. These critics, that include major newspapers and other news outlets, are in collusion with churchmen who want to protect or hide “gay” priests in the Church and promote the growing acceptance of homosexuality in secular culture. The devil as the great deceiver has not only corrupted some in the Church but many in our secular society.
When Pope Francis targeted Satan as the primary culprit of the crisis, many public officials, journalists and others roundly ridiculed him. Article headers around the world heralded a distorted view of his remarks: “Pope Blames Satan Instead of Pedophile Priests!” A spiritual view was derided as a political deflection. Given that many critics of the Church are also inimical to any and all religious affiliations, this should not surprise us— atheists neither believe in God nor a devil. Nevertheless, the devil is real and if it seems that he is spending an inordinate amount of time and energy attacking the Catholic Church the reason is that she is the house that Jesus built. However, if he is present in the Church as an interloper, he is alive and well in modern society as a welcomed guest, or at least this is so in terms of his distorted values. He wants to take ownership of the world and is willing to hide as the ghost in the machine.
The Pope warns us: “We should not think of the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea. This mistake would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up more vulnerable.” While other confessions broke away from Catholic unity, the legacy of the Catholic Church goes back to Jesus and the first bishop-priests, his apostles. The devil hates the Church because she is the present-day realization of the incarnation in the world. Christ is the head and his Church is his Mystical Body. There is a profound unity. Given that none are saved apart from Christ, the same can be said about the Church. As the Mystical Body of our Lord, she is the great sacrament of encounter with Christ. Even as the Church is composed of sinners and invites others by divine command, the Church remains holy because Christ is holy. Our Lord’s redemptive work won the victory over sin and death. However, the consequences must be unraveled throughout subsequent human history. The devil has lost the war but he still seeks to steal individual souls. Given the importance of the priesthood and the Eucharist as at the heart of the Church, the devil attacks where he can cause the most damage and scandal. Just as he can numb the consciences of mothers about the tragic abortion of their children; he deadens the souls of renegade priests to their heinous acts against God’s children, making a sacrilege of their role at the altar and in the confessional.
None of this mitigates the priest’s own culpability for his sins. Similarly the bishops have an obligation to insure a priesthood that is sanctified by grace and devoted to a service realized in sacrificial love. They must be new Christs. We can accept nothing less as it would come from the evil one. Bishops and priests are called as ministers of mercy or reconciliation. It is in this regard that we should not dismiss Satan’s efforts to tempt and corrupt priests. We are not Donatists and the powers of the priesthood are not dependent upon personal holiness. However, bad priests do not readily invite others to repentance and holiness of life. Our Lord abhors duplicity. Compromise the truth and few will listen to our preaching and teaching.
When the devil targets priests, he uses their own loneliness and brokenness against them. He sows weeds from the beginning in secret. Things that needed to be said were not said. Weaknesses were not acknowledged or treated. Truth was the victim throughout— in the psychological evaluation, in the acceptance into seminary, in the regular reviews of candidates and even as they prostrated themselves before the altar. Men who were afraid thought they could hide their cowardice and defects within the priesthood even though our Lord had admonished his apostles not to be afraid. Men who were not committed to celibate love came forward with divided hearts to be ordained. Men who were not humbled by a call of service knelt before the bishop with princely dreams instead. Men who pledged obedience became infected by the poison of Milton’s Satan who cried, “Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven.” Did any of the rogues possess a genuine conviction to answer a calling from God? If so, what was it that changed their trajectory? While some of these men deceived themselves; others were given help.
Most priests are good men who seek to realize the holiness of God and the forgiveness of sins, in their lives and in the lives of those to whom they minister. But it only takes a few bad men to hurt many. It only takes a moment of passivity or weakness or silence to become complicit in their crimes.
Pope Francis has asked God’s people to pray the rosary every day in October so as to repel the satanic attacks and to exorcise the demonic presence from the Church. Of course, we should always pray for good and holy priests. Pope Francis tells us: “The Church must be saved from the attacks of the malignant one, the great accuser, and at the same time be made ever more aware of her guilt— her mistakes— with the abuses committed in the present and the past.”
The Pope has asked us to add to the rosary the traditional intercessory prayer to St. Michael:
“St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.”
Filed under: Angels, Anti-Catholicism, Bishops, Catholic, Celibacy, Church, Devil, Discipleship, Exorcism, God, Hell, Pope, Pope Francis, Sexuality, Sin | 2 Comments »
There is increased tension about the role of laity on review boards and in taking leadership efforts to stem abuse of the young and corruption in the Church. On one side, many traditionalists do not want clergy conceding authority of any sort to the laity. However, given that the clergy, and particularly bishops, currently have very little moral standing among God’s people, they really have no choice— not if they want the Church to return to good health. The other side opposes an increased role of “certain” laity, and here I would agree, albeit from the opposite pole of fidelity. The laity must be a genuine “sensus fidelium” and not one populated by dissenters who would create an entirely new church. The progressive voices want more than an overhaul; they want a full-blown revolution where the doors would be opened to married priests, women clergy, lay trustee ownership of all Church properties, full acceptance of divorce and subsequent unions, of homosexuals and other emerging sexualities, and a communion table open to all. It is this group that is fearful of orthodox laity. While the clergy can be manipulated in labeling the crisis as one of pedophilia, it would be much more difficult to compromise faithful laity into being silent about the true malady which is a homosexuality infestation of Church leadership.
The faithful laity has the will and the money to get to the root of the Church’s problems, and many (clergy and dissenting laity) want those roots to remain safely hidden in the ground. Which is preferable, to allow investigations to remain exclusively in the hands of secular or civil authorities who often have a negative animus or real hatred toward the Church; or to allow orthodox laity who love the Church an opportunity to expose the truth about the current scandal so that there might be a necessary purification, restoration and healing? We want men and women committed both to the faith and to the truth, regardless of the immediate consequences. Bishops have shown that they cannot police themselves. Lower ranked clergy too easily become passive pawns to authority. We should not underestimate the fear that many priests feel. Their priesthood is not a job but their identity. Their ordinaries or bishops can easily make or break them— giving them opportunities for rewarding ministries or locking them away with meaningless closeted assignments or sending them to real hell holes where they will be ill-equipped to survive. Most laity respect their bishops but they are not under their thumbs. They have sufficient autonomy to act.
The dissenters, among the bishops and the laity, are quick to reject investigative efforts from the orthodox laity. Even prior to any such work, they are already accusing them of gay-bashing. They mock them as hardliners obsessed by sex. But this issue is precisely about sex, more directly, about the homosexual acts between clergy and other men or teenagers. This is well over 90% of the actual problem. The dissenters would have us dismiss this and focus on the 2% or less that deals with children and possibly girls. The orthodox faithful and clergy are not Puritans or Jansenists. They acknowledge the beautiful teachings on the Theology of the Body that come from St. John Paul II. There is no derision of the marriage bed between men and women. But sex outside of marriage is a sin. Homosexual acts are always outside of marriage and the attraction is a grave disorder. It is not neutral. We are called to love and respect our “gay” brothers and sisters. As with the priesthood, we would urge them to embrace an authentic and faithful celibate manner of loving. Because of the danger of scandal brought to ministry, the Church should exclude from priesthood all homosexuals who have had sexual encounters. This is not bigoted hate-speech but the necessary bottom line. These critics who argue otherwise must not be given their way as they offer no solutions and are part of the problem, itself.
The liberal critics are infuriated that a priest who violates his vows must be expelled from the priesthood. They employ an analogy in regard to marriage. They would ask, “Would we insist upon the end of a marriage when a man sins against his matrimonial vows?” They have a point here, but only to a point. Much depends on how the vows are broken, the level of contrition and amendment of life and the willingness of the spouse to forgive. As to the manner of violation, there is voyeurism, pornography, prostitution, adultery (with another woman), homosexually disordered acts and incest. A union might come to a practical end because it is a sham or dehumanizing to the spouse or a threat to her and the children. As for a priest, an infidelity with a woman might indeed be forgiven, particularly after a period of counsel and spiritual reflection. His bride the Church is very merciful, even though it would be best to restart his ministry somewhere else far from the person of temptation.
However, if his vows are broken through an abusive act, particularly of a minor or child, he can never be restored to ministry. We do not want rapists of any sort in our active priesthood. The safety of God’s people must always come first. If the violation was a homosexual one, even with a consenting male, then he must also be stripped of his faculties and laicized. We cannot risk predation upon altar boys, seminarians or young priests. A priest must have a certain moral standing and there are certain acts that are so depraved that it is impossible to restore his full sacerdotal dignity and moral authority. Such a priest must go.
Filed under: Apologetics, Catholic, Celibacy, Church, Devil, Discipleship, Modesty, Morality, Priests, Sacraments, Sexuality, Sin, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »
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