Doubtless,
you have read any number of the articles circulating concerning the sexual
abuse scandal that has visited our Church. It is hard for me to handle the
emotions that I am experiencing over the detailed report
that was released on August 14 for six dioceses of Pennsylvania. While many of
the stories are horrific, and the suffering of these victims unquestionably
intense, it is the fact that the abusers were allowed to continue their work
for many years that has most shocked me.
However,
this article is not written to discuss the horrors, because I believe there are
quite a few of those already in print. My thoughts, rather, are directed to the
leaders of the Church that I am a part of. My thoughts go to the priests and
religious brothers, some of whom I am friends with and know well. My words are
meant for the bishops of our Church, some of whom I have worked for in the past
and some of whom I would say are holy men of God.
Your
Church, and mine, is under attack. You, the men given the character of
ordination, are the ones who are called to defend her. You must. You must fight
for her with your very lives. You must lay down your pride, your esteem, your
power, your prestige. You, and you alone, are the shepherds of this time, and
your sheep are scattering. Your sheep are broken, wounded and lost. Your sheep
have been betrayed. Some of you have been unaware, it is true, that there were
wolves masquerading as shepherds. Some of you truly did not know that there
were sheep being offered up on the altars of sensual idolatry and lust. Some of
you did.
What
has taken place is not what we read from the time of Christ, when he sees the
lost flock of Israel and says that “they are like sheep without a shepherd”
(Matt. 9:36). Rather, the Church is currently full of sheep who do have shepherds. Shepherds who need to
do some shepherding. First and
foremost, they need to get rid of the wolves!
I
have been a member of the Catholic Church since I was a few months old. I have
loved her all of my life. I have studied her teachings, worked in her missions,
served in her churches, and I am now striving to raise my children to love her
too. However, I also know the pain of abuse. I have seen friends walk away from
the Church, and from faith in God, because of the abuse of clergy. I have seen
families broken by this evil. I have heard their question ring in my ears, “If
God is really love, how could he allow this to happen? How could he allow him to be a priest?”
The
priests, brothers, deacons, and bishops who are still shepherds and not wolves
find a Church full of sheep who are limping, bleeding, and badly in need of
protection. It is now or never. You must defend her! You must root out the evil
of these wolves and eradicate it from the Body of Christ. You must speak boldly
to your people about this evil. You must assure them that you are determined to
protect them. Where are the defenders of the faith in this generation? It is
time to stand up! It is time to challenge the hierarchy of the Church to put on
the sackcloth and ashes. It is time for a Year
of Penance. It is time for serious fasting, for real humility, for Chaplets
of Divine Mercy and rosaries. It might even be time for hair shirts and
sleeping on stone floors.
I
write this on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, and the first reading
recounts the vision of St. John, with the woman giving birth while the great
Dragon waits to devour the child. We know that Christ is not devoured, and has
already been triumphant. However, the full triumph has not yet come to earth,
and the Devil is busy doing his best to see the Church broken and destroyed. We
need another Saint George, one to take up the banner and sword against this
evil serpent. Except, we need many St. Georges, and the banner and sword are
penitence and boldness.
Shepherds,
tuam memento mori, remember your
death. You have been charged with great responsibility – the care of these
souls who belong to the Church Christ established over 2,000 years ago. Your
obligation is great. You must give an answer for what you have done for
Christ’s Bride. Satan has never rested. His work to corrupt this Church is
evident. Who will offer him resistance? It must begin with you. Slay the
Dragon!
