In a dark and damp cellar in Cologne, Germany, where thousands of Jews once hid from Nazi torment, an inscription was discovered not long after the end of World War II. Scrawled across a stone wall by an anonymous author were the words: "I believe in the sun even when it's not shining. I believe in love even when I don’t feel it. I believe in God even when He is silent."
These words undoubtedly served as a prayer against the unspeakable evil of the Holocaust. And, it was likely a source of hope and encouragement in something bigger, better, greater for the author and all who read it in their time of great fear, pain and suffering. And the same can be said of today’s readings.
Like the words scrawled in the cellar, the words that open today’s second reading tell us what faith DOES. Faith gives us “the realization (or assurance) of what is hoped for and evidence (or inner conviction) of things not seen.” Faith offers us trust and confidence even when we lack the clarity and understanding we desire.
Our faith is in WHO God is: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And we will stand together in just a couple of minutes to make our profession of faith IN our God. Our faith is also in WHAT God does for us. It is God, who from the fullness of his love addresses us as his friends, who made us, who saves us, provides for us, delivers, and protects us – so that we might taste, here and now, the joy, the happiness, the peace that he offers us eternally. Our faith is also in WHAT we do: in faith, through the grace of God, we completely submit to God’s love, we assent to God’s will. This response to God, we call "the obedience of faith."
Today’s readings offer wonderful examples of such obedience of faith. Today’s first reading from Wisdom praises the faith of the Israelite people, who ‘with sure knowledge’ trusted in God’s promise to Abraham that they would be delivered out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt through the Exodus and be given their ultimate freedom. In the second reading, we read of the great faith of Abraham.
By faith in God, Abraham obeyed when he was called by God to leave everything and go out to a foreign land. By faith in God, Abraham’s wife Sarah was given to conceive the son in their old age. And by faith in God, Abraham offered his only son in sacrifice.
Our faith is a source of hope and encouragement and it makes us want to be ready. By readiness I mean an eagerness, a hopefulness for what is to come, for what is promised. And like the Israelites in today’s first reading or Abraham who we recalled in the second reading or the servant-in-waiting in today’s gospel, we must be ready, we must be prepared. Prepared for God’s promise to be fulfilled, which for us, is the second coming of Christ, who will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over evil. As Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel, we “must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
And so we must take to heart Jesus’ instructions to free ourselves from any distractions. We cannot let fear, anger, pride, or greed distract us. We must conform our thoughts, words and actions to the ‘master’s will’ so that we avoid the same punishment as the servant in today’s Gospel “who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations or act in accord with his will.” We must trust in God’s love and his promise of eternal life; and we must hope to share of the inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
Our faith is a personal act and not always perfect. Our faith is also not an isolated act. No one can believe alone, just as no one can live alone. We have received our faith, not only from the grace of God, but also from the example and encouragement of others. We are called, by our Baptism, to hand our faith on to others. Our love for Jesus and for our neighbor impels us to speak to others about our faith. Each believer is thus a link in the great chain of believers. I cannot believe without being carried by the faith of others, and by my faith I can help support the faith of others. And so, we must take to heart Jesus’ instruction at the end of today’s Gospel: “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
So, I ask you: Who in your life is lacking faith in God? Who lacks a trust or confidence in God? Who in your life could benefit from your faith?
In faith, pray for them. But even better let your faith be an example and a source of encouragement and hope for them. Allow your words and actions to bring hope to their life. Let your trust in God, allow their faith to grow.
May God bless you and those that you need your faith example.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Homily - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
In today’s Gospel, the author Luke uses a dialogue between Jesus and a lawyer to lay it right out for us: What’s our goal: eternal life. What we must do to inherit eternal life: follow God’s command - You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. If we do this Jesus promises us that we will live. How wonderful!
Seems easy enough, right – to love God and others. But as we know, it isn’t. Sometimes in our pain, our suffering, our grief we have a hard time loving God. Fortunately or coincidentally, this Thursday, Sister Mauryeen O’Brien, who was the former principal of our parish school and a renowned author and speaker on bereavement, will be speaking to the parish about how we can work through the process of grief when someone we love dies and at the same time grow in our relationship with God. We will meet in the Gathering Space at 7:00 p.m. I invite you and encourage you to bring a friend.
We also know that it is not easy to love others as we should. Sure it is easy to love our spouse, our children, our parents and siblings, our friends – most of the time. But to love a stranger or even our enemies is a whole other thing. So, it can be argued that the lawyers’ question – who is my neighbor whom I should love – is a legitimate question.
Moses reminds us in today’s first reading that God’s command to love “…is not too mysterious and remote…It is not up in the sky…Nor is it across the sea…No, it is something very near to us, already in our mouths and in our hearts; we have only to carry it out." And as we sung in today’s Responsorial Psalm: The law of the LORD refreshes the soul and it causes our soul to rejoice.
To love then is part of who we are – our very being and fiber, in our mouths and hearts, it brings us peace and joy. It is what we are made to do. We naturally desire to love and be loved. AND, it is for this reason that we feel such great pain when we sin – when we offend God and others, when we don't love as we are called to love.
However, just like the priest and the Levite in today’s Gospel, we can easily find reasons to not love as we should.
But remember, we were made to love and called to love with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind.
So I am struck by the line that Luke attributes to the Samaritan when he came upon the victim: he “was moved with compassion at the sight.” To make his general point of helping others, the author Luke could have just jumped to the fact that the Samaritan helped the victim, his neighbor.
Luke didn’t, he first states that the Samaritan was moved by compassion and THEN, because of his compassion for the victim, he flooded the victim with love: pouring oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them; lifting him up on his own animal, taking him to an inn, and caring for him with his own money.
This expression of compassion is important because for the Samaritan and for each one of us, we can’t really love OR act upon that love, if we don’t first have compassion.
Compassion is really the combination of two things: empathy and mercy. To have empathy we self-LESS-ly look to the needs of others, we actually put our self in the place of another, to walk their shoes, we identify with the thoughts and feelings of another. And then we show mercy. To be merciful is to treat someone better than they might deserve. Without passing judgment we treat others not as their words or actions might merit, but by the standard of how we wanted to be treated.
To show compassion is to suffer with the wounded and the suffering, to share their pain and agony. Compassion demands that we move outside our comfort zone as we reach out to others in need. It means that we get our hands and even our reputations dirty.
This is how Jesus, the Good Samaritan par excellence, showed compassion. Although he was God, he did not hesitate to humble himself to the point of becoming a man, welcoming the poor and the outcast, curing the sick, suffering for our sins, and giving his life for us.
So how do we show such compassion? We must recognize the dignity, the goodness, the humanity of our neighbor. We must acknowledge that every person, regardless of the color of their skin, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, religious creed is a creature of God – loved by God and to be loved by each one of us. Our love for others must be as wide as God's love. No one is excluded. God's love is also full of mercy and is unconditional. So we must be with others.
Jesus instructs the lawyer at the end of today’s Gospel to "Go and do likewise." To be compassionate, to love and care for others – just not friends and family, but everyone! And so it is with you and me. We must acknowledge the dignity and goodness of those around us – our spouse, our children or parents or siblings, our co-workers, as well as the homeless person, the illegal immigrant, the unwed mother, the prisoner. We must put aside our assumptions and prejudices and view every person as a creature of God – a person of dignity, goodness and love. Then filled with empathy and mercy, we can give self-LESS-ly of ourselves to others. We can do what we desire to do naturally – what is in our mouths and hearts, what brings us joy and peace: To love with all our heart, with all our being, with all our strength, and with all our mind.
If we do this, we are promised life – eternal life.
So, I say to you: Go and do likewise, so that you may live!
Seems easy enough, right – to love God and others. But as we know, it isn’t. Sometimes in our pain, our suffering, our grief we have a hard time loving God. Fortunately or coincidentally, this Thursday, Sister Mauryeen O’Brien, who was the former principal of our parish school and a renowned author and speaker on bereavement, will be speaking to the parish about how we can work through the process of grief when someone we love dies and at the same time grow in our relationship with God. We will meet in the Gathering Space at 7:00 p.m. I invite you and encourage you to bring a friend.
We also know that it is not easy to love others as we should. Sure it is easy to love our spouse, our children, our parents and siblings, our friends – most of the time. But to love a stranger or even our enemies is a whole other thing. So, it can be argued that the lawyers’ question – who is my neighbor whom I should love – is a legitimate question.
Moses reminds us in today’s first reading that God’s command to love “…is not too mysterious and remote…It is not up in the sky…Nor is it across the sea…No, it is something very near to us, already in our mouths and in our hearts; we have only to carry it out." And as we sung in today’s Responsorial Psalm: The law of the LORD refreshes the soul and it causes our soul to rejoice.
To love then is part of who we are – our very being and fiber, in our mouths and hearts, it brings us peace and joy. It is what we are made to do. We naturally desire to love and be loved. AND, it is for this reason that we feel such great pain when we sin – when we offend God and others, when we don't love as we are called to love.
However, just like the priest and the Levite in today’s Gospel, we can easily find reasons to not love as we should.
But remember, we were made to love and called to love with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind.
So I am struck by the line that Luke attributes to the Samaritan when he came upon the victim: he “was moved with compassion at the sight.” To make his general point of helping others, the author Luke could have just jumped to the fact that the Samaritan helped the victim, his neighbor.
Luke didn’t, he first states that the Samaritan was moved by compassion and THEN, because of his compassion for the victim, he flooded the victim with love: pouring oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them; lifting him up on his own animal, taking him to an inn, and caring for him with his own money.
This expression of compassion is important because for the Samaritan and for each one of us, we can’t really love OR act upon that love, if we don’t first have compassion.
Compassion is really the combination of two things: empathy and mercy. To have empathy we self-LESS-ly look to the needs of others, we actually put our self in the place of another, to walk their shoes, we identify with the thoughts and feelings of another. And then we show mercy. To be merciful is to treat someone better than they might deserve. Without passing judgment we treat others not as their words or actions might merit, but by the standard of how we wanted to be treated.
To show compassion is to suffer with the wounded and the suffering, to share their pain and agony. Compassion demands that we move outside our comfort zone as we reach out to others in need. It means that we get our hands and even our reputations dirty.
This is how Jesus, the Good Samaritan par excellence, showed compassion. Although he was God, he did not hesitate to humble himself to the point of becoming a man, welcoming the poor and the outcast, curing the sick, suffering for our sins, and giving his life for us.
So how do we show such compassion? We must recognize the dignity, the goodness, the humanity of our neighbor. We must acknowledge that every person, regardless of the color of their skin, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, religious creed is a creature of God – loved by God and to be loved by each one of us. Our love for others must be as wide as God's love. No one is excluded. God's love is also full of mercy and is unconditional. So we must be with others.
Jesus instructs the lawyer at the end of today’s Gospel to "Go and do likewise." To be compassionate, to love and care for others – just not friends and family, but everyone! And so it is with you and me. We must acknowledge the dignity and goodness of those around us – our spouse, our children or parents or siblings, our co-workers, as well as the homeless person, the illegal immigrant, the unwed mother, the prisoner. We must put aside our assumptions and prejudices and view every person as a creature of God – a person of dignity, goodness and love. Then filled with empathy and mercy, we can give self-LESS-ly of ourselves to others. We can do what we desire to do naturally – what is in our mouths and hearts, what brings us joy and peace: To love with all our heart, with all our being, with all our strength, and with all our mind.
If we do this, we are promised life – eternal life.
So, I say to you: Go and do likewise, so that you may live!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Homily - Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Pope Benedict XVI declared the past twelve months the Year for Priests. It has been a unique and wonderful opportunity for us to recognize and to honor priests in the Church worldwide and in this Diocese, who transform our lives by bringing Christ to us, especially in the holy sacraments. We are truly blessed here at Our Lady of Peace. Both our pastor, Father Kavanagh, and Monsignor McFarland are wonderful examples of humility, obedience, faith and service to God and the Church. This past Friday, Father Kavanagh celebrated his 27th Anniversary of his Ordination to the priesthood and back on May 28, Monsignor McFarland celebrated his 55th Anniversary. Please join me in applauding their yes to God’s call to the priesthood. [Applause.]
The conclusion of the Year for Priest, combined with today’s readings, has me thinking more about my work. My ‘day job’ for the past 10 years has been is as an attorney for a foundation that raises money for legal services for the poor. Our long-time and founding executive director, the person who hired me, retired earlier this year and we are now in the search for a new executive director. This transition has challenged me to consider what I do, how I do it, and why – something of a professional ‘gut-check.’ I suspect that there are others here going through a similar transition in their life – professionally, maybe in their marriage or a personal relationship, maybe for our recent graduates trying to decide what to do next.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will be spending some time in prayer and in talking with others as I discern what God is calling me to do in my professional life – that is, how I am to provide for my family while also using my God-given talents and skills to help others. I will certainly place my trust in God and pray for the grace of wisdom and courage to follow God’s will, not my own.
I have to believe that each of the individuals we read about in today’s readings went through a similar process in their faith life. The woman from today’s Gospel who floods Jesus with her love, Simon the Pharisee whose home Jesus visits, the Apostle Paul, and King David.
We don’t know for certain what caused the woman in today’s Gospel to show such great love and attention to Jesus – the bathing of his feet with her tears, the wiping them dry with her hair, the kissing and anointing of his feet. It is likely that the experience of forgiveness by God for her many sins causes her to respond as she does. Being reconciled with God, she shows Jesus, the Son of God, such great love. She is bursting with joy, which can only come with being freed and transformed by God’s love.
Simon, the host of the dinner party, on the other hand, when face-to-face with an all-loving and all-merciful God appears unable to move beyond his own pride and self-righteousness to experience the joy offered him.
Like the woman in today’s Gospel it is the Apostle Paul, who with great zeal proclaims the Good News in today’s second reading. We are familiar with his dramatic conversion experience – the bolt of lighting, the fall from the horse, his loss of sight and recovery. Paul’s deep faith and passion required him to reconcile with his sorted past, too. And it is through his transformation that he is able to proclaim with authority that our justification – our freedom from sin and reconciliation with God – comes by faith, not by anything we can say or do independent of God’s free gift of love and mercy.
And then there is King David, whose baggage is as great as any ones – lust and adultery, murder and greed – better than reality TV! But here is the wonderful thing: in the face of God’s great love and mercy, David acknowledges his sin and is forgiven! David was not abandoned by God, but instead he is transformed by God’s love and finds new life.
We too can find new life in God’s great love and mercy. Admittedly, it is often difficult to find God’s love and mercy in the chaos and crisis of our daily lives; but God is there, in love with us and waiting for us, waiting to provide us with opportunities for us to know his love and mercy, to be restored in relationship with him, and to experience the joy and peace we were made to experience.
Like the disciples we read about at the end of today’s Gospel, we are called to follow Jesus’ example of humility, obedience, faith and service to God, to proclaim the good news to others, and give freely of their resources. We can do this by having faith in an all-loving and all-merciful God who forgives our sins and offers us peace, just as he did for the sinful woman in today’s Gospel.
Be at peace my friends, for we have a great and loving God!
The conclusion of the Year for Priest, combined with today’s readings, has me thinking more about my work. My ‘day job’ for the past 10 years has been is as an attorney for a foundation that raises money for legal services for the poor. Our long-time and founding executive director, the person who hired me, retired earlier this year and we are now in the search for a new executive director. This transition has challenged me to consider what I do, how I do it, and why – something of a professional ‘gut-check.’ I suspect that there are others here going through a similar transition in their life – professionally, maybe in their marriage or a personal relationship, maybe for our recent graduates trying to decide what to do next.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will be spending some time in prayer and in talking with others as I discern what God is calling me to do in my professional life – that is, how I am to provide for my family while also using my God-given talents and skills to help others. I will certainly place my trust in God and pray for the grace of wisdom and courage to follow God’s will, not my own.
I have to believe that each of the individuals we read about in today’s readings went through a similar process in their faith life. The woman from today’s Gospel who floods Jesus with her love, Simon the Pharisee whose home Jesus visits, the Apostle Paul, and King David.
We don’t know for certain what caused the woman in today’s Gospel to show such great love and attention to Jesus – the bathing of his feet with her tears, the wiping them dry with her hair, the kissing and anointing of his feet. It is likely that the experience of forgiveness by God for her many sins causes her to respond as she does. Being reconciled with God, she shows Jesus, the Son of God, such great love. She is bursting with joy, which can only come with being freed and transformed by God’s love.
Simon, the host of the dinner party, on the other hand, when face-to-face with an all-loving and all-merciful God appears unable to move beyond his own pride and self-righteousness to experience the joy offered him.
Like the woman in today’s Gospel it is the Apostle Paul, who with great zeal proclaims the Good News in today’s second reading. We are familiar with his dramatic conversion experience – the bolt of lighting, the fall from the horse, his loss of sight and recovery. Paul’s deep faith and passion required him to reconcile with his sorted past, too. And it is through his transformation that he is able to proclaim with authority that our justification – our freedom from sin and reconciliation with God – comes by faith, not by anything we can say or do independent of God’s free gift of love and mercy.
And then there is King David, whose baggage is as great as any ones – lust and adultery, murder and greed – better than reality TV! But here is the wonderful thing: in the face of God’s great love and mercy, David acknowledges his sin and is forgiven! David was not abandoned by God, but instead he is transformed by God’s love and finds new life.
We too can find new life in God’s great love and mercy. Admittedly, it is often difficult to find God’s love and mercy in the chaos and crisis of our daily lives; but God is there, in love with us and waiting for us, waiting to provide us with opportunities for us to know his love and mercy, to be restored in relationship with him, and to experience the joy and peace we were made to experience.
Like the disciples we read about at the end of today’s Gospel, we are called to follow Jesus’ example of humility, obedience, faith and service to God, to proclaim the good news to others, and give freely of their resources. We can do this by having faith in an all-loving and all-merciful God who forgives our sins and offers us peace, just as he did for the sinful woman in today’s Gospel.
Be at peace my friends, for we have a great and loving God!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Homily - Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year C)
We hear the very beginning and the conclusion (or resolution) to a wonderful story in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles – a (maybe the) defining moment in the early Church after the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is the event of today’s first reading in which the Church doors were opened wide to all – Jews and non-Jews (or Gentiles) – in which we became truly and literally a universal or catholic church.
See, there were many Christian Jews – Jews who had converted to Christianity – who had a misplaced understanding of our relationship with God. They thought, that adherence to rules (especially God given rules) defined our relationship with God. While rules are important and even necessary, our relationship with God is defined by faith, not simply an adherence to a set of rules.
We must have faith – a confidence and trust – in God the Father (our Creator), in his son Jesus Christ (our Savior), and the Holy Spirit (the fountain of God’s grace). It is faith that allows us to know and experience the great joy, peace, and love our God desires for us and offers to us here, now and eternally.
Faith flows from the grace of God. Grace is the courage, the wisdom, the patience to seek and grow in relationship with God. Grace is a gift from God – it is the gift from God promised by Christ in today’s Gospel. Grace is also a free gift from God, not something we can earn or merit. Finally, grace is made available to all, not a select few or elite – and this is what is reported to us in today’s first reading. Through grace we grow in faith, we grow in our relationship with God.
One of the most wonderful aspects of the story from today’s first reading, is of the impact that the faith of the Gentile-converts had on those who already believed. The Gentile-converts were filled with grace from the Holy Spirit. It was the strong and enthusiastic faith of the Gentile-converts that so impressed and inspired Paul and Barnabas. And it was the personal experiences of leaders like the Apostle Peter, who also witnessed the great faith of the Gentiles, which resulted in the greater understanding: that it is by faith that we are in relationship with God and that this relationship is for all mankind.
This story has caused me to wonder, and I invite you to ask this question of yourself: does my faith inspire others?
What I am asking of myself is whether my faith offers me an inner peace and joy, grounded in a deep trust in God, that is visible to others in what I say and do. What I am asking myself is whether I possess a hope in something bigger and better than what I know now or can possibly know AND whether others can see in all that I do and say is reflected in this hope.
This is the faith that we are called to experience – this is the relationship with God that we were made to experience – this relationship of faith that defines who we are - and it is this relationship that we are called to share with others.
As we begin this new week, Let us pray for each other that when our faith grows weak or falters, that we may be strengthened by the experience of God personally in Sacred Scripture and the Sacraments.
In such encounters with God, let us pray that we receive the grace from God that we need.
Filled with grace from the Holy Spirit, let us pray that our actions and words naturally flow towards the praise and thanksgiving for God and to the service of God and others.
Let us pray that through our faith, we may inspire others to a deeper relationship with God and so together we may experience the joy, the peace, the love that God desire for everyone.
May God bless you.
See, there were many Christian Jews – Jews who had converted to Christianity – who had a misplaced understanding of our relationship with God. They thought, that adherence to rules (especially God given rules) defined our relationship with God. While rules are important and even necessary, our relationship with God is defined by faith, not simply an adherence to a set of rules.
We must have faith – a confidence and trust – in God the Father (our Creator), in his son Jesus Christ (our Savior), and the Holy Spirit (the fountain of God’s grace). It is faith that allows us to know and experience the great joy, peace, and love our God desires for us and offers to us here, now and eternally.
Faith flows from the grace of God. Grace is the courage, the wisdom, the patience to seek and grow in relationship with God. Grace is a gift from God – it is the gift from God promised by Christ in today’s Gospel. Grace is also a free gift from God, not something we can earn or merit. Finally, grace is made available to all, not a select few or elite – and this is what is reported to us in today’s first reading. Through grace we grow in faith, we grow in our relationship with God.
One of the most wonderful aspects of the story from today’s first reading, is of the impact that the faith of the Gentile-converts had on those who already believed. The Gentile-converts were filled with grace from the Holy Spirit. It was the strong and enthusiastic faith of the Gentile-converts that so impressed and inspired Paul and Barnabas. And it was the personal experiences of leaders like the Apostle Peter, who also witnessed the great faith of the Gentiles, which resulted in the greater understanding: that it is by faith that we are in relationship with God and that this relationship is for all mankind.
This story has caused me to wonder, and I invite you to ask this question of yourself: does my faith inspire others?
What I am asking of myself is whether my faith offers me an inner peace and joy, grounded in a deep trust in God, that is visible to others in what I say and do. What I am asking myself is whether I possess a hope in something bigger and better than what I know now or can possibly know AND whether others can see in all that I do and say is reflected in this hope.
This is the faith that we are called to experience – this is the relationship with God that we were made to experience – this relationship of faith that defines who we are - and it is this relationship that we are called to share with others.
As we begin this new week, Let us pray for each other that when our faith grows weak or falters, that we may be strengthened by the experience of God personally in Sacred Scripture and the Sacraments.
In such encounters with God, let us pray that we receive the grace from God that we need.
Filled with grace from the Holy Spirit, let us pray that our actions and words naturally flow towards the praise and thanksgiving for God and to the service of God and others.
Let us pray that through our faith, we may inspire others to a deeper relationship with God and so together we may experience the joy, the peace, the love that God desire for everyone.
May God bless you.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Homily - Second Sunday of Easter (Year C)
I love the statement in today’s First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles: “Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles. None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them.” The “many signs and wonders” attributed to the Apostles, which are detailed in today’s reading and throughout the Acts of the Apostles, remind us that the Lord is always at work in His Church through the ministry of its member, as a means to uplift and strengthen His Church.
I especially love the beautiful statement that the Apostles were ‘esteemed’ by the people – that they were greatly admired and respected. This admiration and respect does and should follow to the successors of the apostles: the bishops. We are very fortunate to have many good and holy bishops who are called to uplift and strengthen the members of the church entrusted to them. We are blessed in our diocese to have a wonderful bishop, Frederick Campbell, and bishop emeritus, James Griffin. We are also blessed to have strong bishops across the country who have shown great leadership, for example, in the hard fight in the health care reform bill for the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.
This is at the same time, however, that terrible revelations of sexual abuse in Ireland and Germany have again rocked the Catholic Church and the office of bishop. Catholic priest James Martin, in a recent article, summarizes well how these horrible crimes could have happened and how the bishops have dealt with the issue so poorly, or not at all. For the most part, Father Martin lists in his article the findings of the National Review Board, which studied this issue in the United States back in 2003. He stresses (and I agree) that whatever is offered as reasons for the abuse and it’s cover-up, they are not excuses – there are no excuses for these crimes.
Father Martin offers two causes for why the Church had so many abusive priests. The first reason is improper screening for candidates to the priesthood, and the second reason is poor formation or training of clergy. Much has changed in terms of screening and formation since many of the priests accused of past abuses were ordained. I can attest to this in my own screening and formation to the diaconate (and I am certain the same for Deacon Irion in his formation to the priesthood).
Father Martin goes on to list the board's analysis of the second question: Why did the church’s leaders respond to the problem so poorly for so many years? The list includes:
1. That bishops were among those still in the dark about this dark side of human behavior, and simply were at a loss to appreciate the magnitude of the problem.
2. That many bishops sought to protect the faithful from "scandal" by concealing evidence of abusive priests, which ironically created a greater scandal.
3. The threat of litigation caused many bishop to adopt an adversarial stance, in order to protect the many good and important institutions of the church, such as parishes, schools, hospitals, and other social services programs.
4. Some bishops failed to comprehend the magnitude of the harm suffered by victims.
5. Many bishops relied too heavily on the flawed advice of psychiatrists, psychologists and lawyers when making decisions.
6. Many bishops avoided confronting abusive priests.
7. Many bishops placed the interests of priests above those of victims. AND
8. Canon law made removal of priests from ministry very difficult (and certainly not quick).
I share this with you for two reasons. First, because it is my hope that we, clergy and laity together, can learn from these mistakes and ensure that this never happens again. I am confident that through the leadership of our bishops in the United States, we can protect the dignity and safety of all members of the Body of Christ, the Church. This is the responsibility of each one of us.
Second, like the Apostles and disciples huddled together in that locked room, we can find peace in the face of crisis. Remember there was a crisis on the day of the Resurrection – the Apostles and disciples were scared and confused, their leader was just crucified and died on a cross, and they worried that they were next – that’s why they locked themselves in the room.
Just as Jesus came and stood in the midst of his disciples, he comes to us and says to us: “Peace be with you.” In our brokenness, pain, fear and hurt, it is Jesus’ who comes to us through the locked rooms we place ourselves in. He offers us his forgiveness and invites us to reconcile with him and each other. It is Jesus who is the source of peace in our hearts. And it is Jesus who gives us his Holy Spirit to help us live in His peace.
In our brokenness, pain, fear and hurt, it is Jesus who is patient with us, just as he was with Thomas. When there is crisis in our family, our Church, or our community and our faith falters or grows weak, Jesus does not abandon us, but continuously calls us to a renewed faith and holiness. We celebrate this gift in a special way this Second Sunday of Easter, also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. It is with this gift of God’s love that we can sing with confidence, as we did in today’s Psalm: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.”
The Gospel writer John, writes his gospel so that we “may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief [we] may have life in his name.” This Easter season, may each of us come to a deeper belief in Jesus Christ. May we, like Thomas proclaim: “My Lord and my God!” as we experience Christ personally in the Sacraments and in each other. In faith, may we share in the peace Jesus offers us now and eternally.
I especially love the beautiful statement that the Apostles were ‘esteemed’ by the people – that they were greatly admired and respected. This admiration and respect does and should follow to the successors of the apostles: the bishops. We are very fortunate to have many good and holy bishops who are called to uplift and strengthen the members of the church entrusted to them. We are blessed in our diocese to have a wonderful bishop, Frederick Campbell, and bishop emeritus, James Griffin. We are also blessed to have strong bishops across the country who have shown great leadership, for example, in the hard fight in the health care reform bill for the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.
This is at the same time, however, that terrible revelations of sexual abuse in Ireland and Germany have again rocked the Catholic Church and the office of bishop. Catholic priest James Martin, in a recent article, summarizes well how these horrible crimes could have happened and how the bishops have dealt with the issue so poorly, or not at all. For the most part, Father Martin lists in his article the findings of the National Review Board, which studied this issue in the United States back in 2003. He stresses (and I agree) that whatever is offered as reasons for the abuse and it’s cover-up, they are not excuses – there are no excuses for these crimes.
Father Martin offers two causes for why the Church had so many abusive priests. The first reason is improper screening for candidates to the priesthood, and the second reason is poor formation or training of clergy. Much has changed in terms of screening and formation since many of the priests accused of past abuses were ordained. I can attest to this in my own screening and formation to the diaconate (and I am certain the same for Deacon Irion in his formation to the priesthood).
Father Martin goes on to list the board's analysis of the second question: Why did the church’s leaders respond to the problem so poorly for so many years? The list includes:
1. That bishops were among those still in the dark about this dark side of human behavior, and simply were at a loss to appreciate the magnitude of the problem.
2. That many bishops sought to protect the faithful from "scandal" by concealing evidence of abusive priests, which ironically created a greater scandal.
3. The threat of litigation caused many bishop to adopt an adversarial stance, in order to protect the many good and important institutions of the church, such as parishes, schools, hospitals, and other social services programs.
4. Some bishops failed to comprehend the magnitude of the harm suffered by victims.
5. Many bishops relied too heavily on the flawed advice of psychiatrists, psychologists and lawyers when making decisions.
6. Many bishops avoided confronting abusive priests.
7. Many bishops placed the interests of priests above those of victims. AND
8. Canon law made removal of priests from ministry very difficult (and certainly not quick).
I share this with you for two reasons. First, because it is my hope that we, clergy and laity together, can learn from these mistakes and ensure that this never happens again. I am confident that through the leadership of our bishops in the United States, we can protect the dignity and safety of all members of the Body of Christ, the Church. This is the responsibility of each one of us.
Second, like the Apostles and disciples huddled together in that locked room, we can find peace in the face of crisis. Remember there was a crisis on the day of the Resurrection – the Apostles and disciples were scared and confused, their leader was just crucified and died on a cross, and they worried that they were next – that’s why they locked themselves in the room.
Just as Jesus came and stood in the midst of his disciples, he comes to us and says to us: “Peace be with you.” In our brokenness, pain, fear and hurt, it is Jesus’ who comes to us through the locked rooms we place ourselves in. He offers us his forgiveness and invites us to reconcile with him and each other. It is Jesus who is the source of peace in our hearts. And it is Jesus who gives us his Holy Spirit to help us live in His peace.
In our brokenness, pain, fear and hurt, it is Jesus who is patient with us, just as he was with Thomas. When there is crisis in our family, our Church, or our community and our faith falters or grows weak, Jesus does not abandon us, but continuously calls us to a renewed faith and holiness. We celebrate this gift in a special way this Second Sunday of Easter, also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. It is with this gift of God’s love that we can sing with confidence, as we did in today’s Psalm: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.”
The Gospel writer John, writes his gospel so that we “may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief [we] may have life in his name.” This Easter season, may each of us come to a deeper belief in Jesus Christ. May we, like Thomas proclaim: “My Lord and my God!” as we experience Christ personally in the Sacraments and in each other. In faith, may we share in the peace Jesus offers us now and eternally.
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