Mt 11:28-30 Like Jesus
(Click here for readings)Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.”
This is music to my ears. It is like a lullaby. It is a reminder of what our world would be like if it had not experienced the catastrophic calamity that left us living life on a deserted island with only a few provisions left over from the wreckage.
The Lord is calling out to us to come to Him, to follow Him and to imitate Him.
Come to me. How exactly? By imitation.
Many people are scandalized by Church failings. I am too. But I am not surprised. After all, the Church is both human and divine. It consists of men and God. When the Church fails, it is God and men who failed. In other words, Jesus invited: “Come to me”, and man rejected Him: “No thanks.”
But when the Church succeeds, it is because Jesus continued to invite: “Come to me” and man finally caved in: “Okay.”
Yes, God fails, even though He is omnipotent. Why does He fail? Because He is a lover, not a drone or an IRS or NSA agent.
The Lord does not control by order. He controls by love. He does not convince by the argument of His power but by the power of His argument.
I am not surprised by Church failings just as much as I am not surprised by the failings of friends and family. I am not naïve. I know better. There but for the grace of God go I.
I know my peers. I know myself. I would like to think that I am stronger and better than they are. But this is simply the illusion of a thirsty man on a desert island. I am hungry. I am thirsty. I am starving. I am no better than the lonely man on the street corner. What tempts them may not tempt me but I have plenty of temptations to take care of, thank you!
When the Church goes astray, it is men and women who go astray, not the Church. St. Peter’s does not move. St. Peter and his successors do.
When she is at her worst, the Church simply mirrors society. But when she is at her best, she mirrors Jesus Christ.
Her stance against abortion and homosexual “marriage” mirrors her love of Christ and for sinners. Her errors and criminal wrong doings mirror society at large.
Someone recently wrote to me that Pope Francis was the head of the biggest pedophile organization in the world. This individual clearly is not speaking based on the facts but rather on fiction. The United States is considered the largest producer and distributor of child pornography in the world (Pedophilia includes the production of child pornography because it includes child abuse). Therefore, the head of the biggest pedophile organization in the world is not by any degree the Catholic Church but rather the United States of America, and that would make the President of the United States, not Pope Francis, its head. Now of course my claim is as ridiculous as his claim, but there is more validity in my statement than his, since the President of the United States is aware of the problem, has all the resources to tackle the problem, and has all the man power and weapons to destroy the problem.
Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. But when the Church mirrors Christ, then she is a beauty beyond belief; a relief for sore eyes; a hope for all people.
It turns out that Pope Francis is somewhat of a fashion trendsetter. Some world renowned fashion designers are rethinking their designs with Pope Francis in mind.
Vogue reports that the Pope “is changing the face of Italian fashions. …His humility and sobriety have apparently wooed some of the country’s most notable designers away from the country’s ostentatious signature fashion aesthetic.”
“It’s a whole new spirit in Rome,” said Fendi co-designer Silvia Venturini Fendi. “This is evident when we have a new pope going back to real Christianity, which lately was far from the church. People are looking for meaning, and the real meaning of fashion is as a tool to express yourself…Maybe there is a moment when we want to focus on other things in life and give fashion a different meaning to clothing. Women are thinking and dressing more ethically. This pope is what we all needed.
Amen to that. Now onto Hollywood, and an examination of its apparent immunity from all responsibility.
I recently watched the HBO documentary "Mea Maxima Culpa" about the sex abuse case involving Father Murphy at a Wisconsin Catholic school for Deaf children. (I highly recommend viewing it.) I was heartbroken to hear the stories from now grown deaf men who experienced such horrific molestation, and the Church ignoring the problem for so many years.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love Pope Francis. Just seeing his face brings a smile to my face. Pope Benedict was wonderful, too, but I find Pope Francis so much warmer. I can see why Italian fashions are changing to mimic his style. Wonderful!
Blessings,
-Jennifer
I am not surprised at the failings. Regarding the sexual abuse scandals, I think the primary failures centered on cover ups and not holding the perpetrators accountable for their actions. I tend to view the perpetrators as predators who look for environments in which they can exploit victims, whether it be in the Catholic Church, a Protestant denomination, a classroom, or a youth club. I doubt we will ever be able to completely eradicate predators from our midst--unfortunately we will probably always have a new horror to endure--but we can certainly look forward with hope to the days when those instances are very rare, especially with our Church and so many other organizations putting safeguards in place. It's really difficult for me to view these men as priests or Protestant ministers or teachers or youth leaders. They're predators, first and foremost. Wolves in sheep's clothing. And they're often excellent at manipulating their victims and presenting false personas to adults around them.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, you sound just like Jennifer:) !! Where have you been? You have great insights – take credit for them!
ReplyDeleteWolves often hide among the sheep. The shame was compounded when those in charge of the perpetrators covered it up by shipping them off to another church. Where was the concern for the next alter boy that be assaulted by the same priest/perpetrator.
ReplyDeleteSome higher ups in the church knew and still helped cover it up. The blame is on them as well, God help them, God help the boys assaulted as the mental anguish will last a lifetime.