Category Archives: Scandal

We Are Being Tested

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Dear Folks,This Sunday we finish chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, and we see many of Jesus’ followers leaving Him and going back to their former ways of life. Imagine Jesus’ heartbreak watching them go. Imagine what He is feeling as He asks the twelve if they want to leave also. Peter gives a less than enthusiastic response, but they stay. They probably had as much trouble with what He had said as the others did and had as much reason to leave, but their reason to stay was stronger. We have been reading, and hearing, and talking for many years about people leaving the practice of the Catholic faith. Many people immediately talk about bad experiences that spark their leaving. I think this is the wrong focus. There have always been bad experiences of Church, and while we want to try to minimize them, they will always be a part of life in any community. The Church is full of sinners. It has been from the beginning. When He called the first disciples, He knew they were flawed. He warned us that it would be an issue until the end of time (See the parable of the wheat and the weeds Matthew 13:24-30).I suggest so many have been leaving because they haven’t been taught enough about the faith to give them enough reason to stay, so it doesn’t take much to get them to leave. I have talked to lots (and lots) of Catholics, and a great many of them were taught a very feeble understanding about the Catholic faith. I’ve thought many times, “If that’s what I thought the faith was, I would have left too.” Some believed that it’s basically a general encouragement to be a nice person. I’ve asked people, “Why is it a good thing to be a practicing Catholic Christian?” and some have no answer. Some say they get a good feeling on Sunday morning. Some people were actually taught they didn’t need to go to church, and if they felt closer to God in the woods, that’s where they should go instead (as if closeness to God were a feeling. Where did that idea come from?).I have witnessed and experienced many kinds of toxic church. I’m still here because I believe that the Catholic faith is the truth, and that living that faith is the core purpose of life. As long as I believe that, you folks are stuck with me. This is why I’m such a fanatic about people continuing to learn about the faith. I have calmed down enough not to be as obnoxious about it as I used to be, but I’m still just as determined. Our Church is being tested and will be tested further (Can anyone look at what is happening in the world and what is happening in the Church and not believe that?).I suggest we shall have many occasions to say, “this is a hard saying,” and “this is a hard situation,” and feel tempted to leave. If God is testing us, are we prepared? Is our faith deep enough, wide enough and strong enough to endure? I propose two things: First, spend time with God (always a good thing). Second, explore more about the great treasure of our faith. The more I learn the more amazing I find it.God will give us what we need if we are willing to receive it. Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Sinners in the Church: No Surprise

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Dear Folks,

Jesus was right. Common on the Christian journey is that we keep getting surprised about how right Jesus was in His teachings. Going from reading words on paper to seeing the reality in life is really something. Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and the weeds in Matt. 13. He warned us that there would be good and bad in the church, but it comes as a surprise when we see it happening. Many people have reported that they stopped going to church

because they were disappointed by fellow parishioners or church leaders, and being fair, some fellow parishioners and some church leaders can be very disappointing. But what they are saying is they are leaving the Church that Jesus started because it is the way He

told us it would be. Part of the way He sanctifies us is in our dealing with the sins, flaws, and imperfections of others in church.

So how should we react to that? This means that we have to put up with each other, and we are brothers and sisters in spite of those flaws. It does not mean that sin can be taken lightly or ignored. We affect each other, and the sins of one drag us all down. Those who sin and refuse to repent are in bad trouble.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause sin! Such things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come (Matt 18:6-7; see Mark 9:42 and Luke 17:1-3).” People who insist that wrong is right and they can be devout Catholics while persisting in sin and making it clear they think this is right are leading others to sin, and Jesus makes clear they are in bad trouble.

What about excommunication? Is that not contrary to Jesus’ teaching on the wheat and the weeds? We get guidance from St. Paul: “It is widely reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans—a man living with his father’s wife. And you are inflated with pride. Should you not rather have been sorrowful? The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst. I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit, have already, as if present, pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus; when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this

man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord (1 Corinthians 5:1-5).” Excommunication is drastic medicine for drastic situations

and ordered to save someone’s soul. It is also to protect others in the Church from being misled. St. Paul continues: “Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough (1 Corinthians 5:6)?” Jesus and Paul’s teaching on leaven tell us that a small influence can change the whole community, for better or for worse. Remember what Jesus said about leading little ones to sin.

What about telling people they shouldn’t receive communion while they are persisting in sin? Is that not contrary to Jesus’ teaching to love sinners? St. Paul guides us here too: “Therefore whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to

answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats

and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying (1 Corinthians 11:27-30).” Encouraging people to receive communion is not always loving.

In adult faith formation classes, when we get to explaining that sin is doing what we know is wrong on purpose, there is always one person who asks, “wouldn’t it be better not to learn about sin then, so whatever we do we won’t be sinning?” If one unknowingly does

wrong, even if they are not guilty of sin, they still do harm to their own souls and the people around them.

Unlike the actual plants, we all have some wheat in us, and we all have some weed in us. Our task is to help each other be as wheaty as possible.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

An Uncomfortable Gospel

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Canaanite woman

Dear Folks,
The Gospel for this Sunday (Matt 15:21-28) is one of the most uncomfortable readings in the Bible. This is not how we like to think about Jesus. It almost (almost?) looks like He is being mean to a woman who is desperate. If I didn’t know this story was in the Gospels, and someone told me Jesus had done this, I’m sure I would have said no, it is not possible.
And yet, here it is.
I haven’t gotten completely comfortable with it (and maybe that’s not the goal), but I do have some thoughts. I think it is helpful to see the larger context of the Gospel first being offered to the Israelites (Jews), and then to Gentile (non-Jews, in this case Greeks/Hellenists). One of the themes in the Gospels is those who should be the most open were closed tight, and some of the Gentiles were very open (like the story of the centurion’s servant Mat 8:5-:13). This lead to some tension in the early Church (see Acts 6:1 and Romans 10 and 11). Romans goes into detail about how they fit in, and neither side should be looking down on the other. The parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20: 1-16) talks about those who came late being made equal to those who have been serving since the beginning, and I suggest this is about the relationship between Jews and Greeks.
Let’s look at the larger narrative. Matthew 13: 54-58 shows Jesus being rejected by His home town of Nazareth. Chapter 14 we meet Herod (son of the guy who caused so much trouble in chapter 2, a story that echoed Pharaoh’s slaughter of the innocent in Exodus 1. The death of John the Baptist foreshadows the death of Jesus, the new Passover Lamb. Jesus feeds the 5000 in Jewish territory, and there are 12 baskets of fragments gathered, a symbol of the gathering of the 12 tribes of Israel. (Echo of the Passover and foreshadowing of the Last Supper). Then Jesus walks on water (doing Moses and the Red Sea one better). Then, we see the Scribes and Pharisees who insist on doing things their way rather than God’s way. Notice this section starts and ends with those who should be the most open are the most closed.
Jesus goes to Gentile territory. Now we meet the Canaanite woman and she demonstrates her faith. Those who demand things their way don’t do well. Those who recognize they are not entitled to anything do very well.
Jesus now feeds 4000 in Gentile territory, and there are seven baskets left over. This reflects the gathering of the seven Gentile nations: Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (Deuteronomy 7:1).
Chapter 16 shows the Pharisees demanding a sign (once again, they want things done their way. They don’t get it. Jesus tells the disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, which is their teaching (See also Mark 8:14-21 ad Luke 12:1)). Leaven as a sign of sinfulness is also in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, and he says, “Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened, for our Pascal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed (v. 7).” In Jewish practice, there is a ritual for clearing all the leaven out of the house in preparation for Passover.
This brings me to John. In the Gospel of John we see three Passover times (2:13; 6:4; and 13:1). In the first there is the cleaning of the temple and miraculous wine. In the second there is miraculous bread and walking on water. In the third Jesus becomes the Passover Lamb. To fit this pattern, it suggests that the cleaning of the temple reflects the clearing out of the old leaven.
Perhaps Jesus testing the Canaanite woman was clearing out of spiritual leaven to draw her into the Pascal mystery. I don’t know if this makes sense, but I hope you enjoyed the ride.
Blessings, Fr. Jim

Reform

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charlesborromeo

I’m going to bring up one of my least favorite topics in the whole wide world: the priest abuse scandal. A small percentage of priests did terrible, terrible harm, made far worse because priests have a sacred position of trust, and it was abused. Many times people in leadership positions were not effective in stopping them. It seems many were more concerned about protecting their friends and protecting the system than in protecting and helping victims, and that was as bad or worse than the original crime.
The priest who are trying our best to do what is right have been deeply angry, profoundly hurt, and bitterly disappointed.
Then came the moment when we had reached a tipping point, and something was ready to happen. The work was not perfect, but it was substantial. Much work was done to develop a transparent and accountable process for dealing with complains, one that would not allow things to get swept under the rug.
New practices were developed and new training was given. We put a lot of time and energy into making the Church a safe place and helping the Church to re-earn credibility. We learned practices that clarify what actions are innocent, and where the line is crossed. We learned to watch for signs that someone might be preparing to do something bad, actions that seem harmless, but are part of grooming victims and grooming families to give cover for crimes. This would also provide some protection against innocent people being accused because of misunderstandings or malicious accusations. We organized our buildings and our programs so that we could squeeze out any opportunity for a predator to act. It is not enough that everyone be safe; but people must also feel safe. Statistics are important, but they are not enough. They had to see in us that we were really trying to do it right. Priests also needed some confidence that if they did things right, people would have their back.
It has taken everyone’s cooperation. I said repeatedly, “We did not make this mess, but we must be a part of cleaning it up.”
It has also been necessary to challenge a culture that made things worse. Many priests, teachers, and people in leadership positions had absorbed some of secular society’s belief that sexual sins are no big deal and that the Church had been making too much fuss over them. This meant that when someone was tempted to do something horrible, they were not prepared to resist the temptation and take the danger seriously, possibly seeing a sign they needed help. Those who taught what they taught did not intend this, but consequences don’t care about intentions.
Some made it harder by using the situation for their own agendas, agendas that did not serve the protection of children. Some would condemn all priests or the whole Church. Some would treat every accusation or even rumor as a conviction.
It was essential not to let them drain the energy from the real work of solving the essential problems.
Imagine if, instead of doing all that, there had been a lot of hand-wringing, virtue signaling, and mouthing platitudes like “This must stop” and “We will no longer allow this” and nothing of substance was done. The moment would have been wasted, and nothing would have changed.
The horrific killing of George Floyd has cast a spotlight on another issue. A small percentage of police officers can do terrible damage. I have read that the guy who killed poor George had had seventeen complaints against him, but no action was taken. If that is true, it calls the question whether those in power were more interested in protecting their friends and protecting the institution than protecting the victims. I’m speaking carefully here, because I don’t have inside knowledge, but I do have questions.
How can people be confident that if they have an interaction with the police that their dignity will be respected and their safety protected? And if there are bad actors who violate their rights how can they be confident that they will be held accountable? How can police be confident that if they do things right, the community will have their back?
Can there be transparent standards that when there is an interaction between the police and a civilian, this is what the civilian should expect from the police, and this is what the police should expect from the civilian? Can there be a transparent process for complaints so if something goes wrong people know what they should expect? Can there be gatherings of local police and the local community so there is buy-in from all sides?
How can we all be more aware of how we perceive and misperceive each other? Perceptions can be are skewed by our experiences and stories. How can we have experiences and hear stories that will draw us together and not divide us? This problem seems to go deep, and the solution needs to be deep also. Can people share stories, experiences and concerns? Statistics are important but they are not enough. I don’t know about these issues; I just have questions. I’m desperately hoping that people who know more than I can build a path from here to where we need to go.
I have not heard one voice defending the killing of George Floyd. Not. One. Voice. The act was condemned by all sides. What if we start with what unites us? Please, please, let us not waste this moment.
St. Charles Borromeo was one of the great reformers of the Church at a time when the system had gone terribly wrong. He worked patiently, persistently, and selflessly, calling priests and bishops to get their act together and leading by example. He could have taken a much easier path. He chose not to. He didn’t make the mess, but he did a lot to clean it up. What will really help clean things up now?