- 1st Reading – 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23
- 2nd Reading – 1 Corinthians 15:45-49
- Gospel – Luke 6:27-38
You may have heard that Pope Frances convened a summit this past at the Vatican concerning the sexual abuse crisis in the Church. The official title of the summit was, “The protection of minors in the Church.” It was planned for a four-day event which began on Thursday and is wrapping up tomorrow/today. Pope Frances had called on approx. 200 Bishops, Cardinals, and other Church leaders from all around the world to attend because this scandal isn’t limited to just the United States but has affected people from every habitable continent and affects the entire Church. On Wednesday, before the summit, those in attendance were able to hear directly from several abuse victims, anonymously, via video, along with many other victims that were there personally in attendance for the summit.
In his opening address to the summit, Pope Frances presented 21 reflection points to those present, as guidelines to establish concrete procedures for dealing with sexual abuse and he reiterated that the victims, along with all people deserve, not just simple condemnation, but concrete results, and that we must strive for responsibility, accountability and transparency. It would, however, be unrealistic to think that changes will happen suddenly from just one four-day summit. The Pope also stressed that there will be many more meetings to come. The purpose of this first summit was, to first, listen to the victims, to gather information, and then begin to work on concrete plans how to deal with the various aspects of this scandal. The 21 reflection points that Pope Frances introduced to the attendees ranged everywhere from making sure that the victims receive all the support they need, to possibly making changes to the Code of Canon Law regarding reports of sexual abuse and how to deal with those that are accused…
This scandal has created a very deep wound in the Body of Christ——our Mother Church—–and all of us. As Catholics, we know that the Church is guided by the power of the Holy Spirit, but we also know that the Church, on earth, is made up of human beings, and as human beings we are all imperfect. We are all weak and vulnerable to sin. I’m not making excuses for those responsible, but just pointing out the reality of human nature. But as Christians, we also have the responsibility to admit our weaknesses, admit when we have failed and take responsibility for our actions. God does forgive us for our sins, but we must first be sorry for our sins, and do all we can to make reparations for our sins. NO ONE in the Church is exempt from that.
Pope Frances, in his opening address, called on those in attendance to, “Listen to the cries of the little ones who are asking for justice.” We are all the Body of Christ, and when one of us hurts, all of us hurt. We all feel the pain from this crisis, and it will take all of us to get through this. We need to pray that all of those present at the summit will listen for——- and heed the voice of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will guide the Church through these tough times. It’s just a matter of time, and how quickly reparations are made and the concerns of all those affected are addressed. And that will take time. It won’t be a quick and easy fix. But the Church will survive. I have no doubt of this. The Church has weathered many other scandals throughout its’ two-thousand-year history; and we also have the promise of Jesus himself, that his Church will never fail.
The summit at the Vatican is just now coming to a conclusion, so it’s too early to tell what results may come out of it, so we have to continue praying for guidance from the Holy Spirit. We must pray for the Church. We must pray for healing for the victims. And yes, we must pray for the souls of those who perpetrated these sins. By the power of the Holy Spirit love will prevail.
Our readings for today give us examples of how to live our lives trusting in God and how to treat one another. In our first reading we hear how David spared Saul’s life. Even though Saul had declared David an enemy and wanted to kill him, David refused to kill Saul when he had the opportunity, acknowledging that only God had the authority to judge. Saul perpetuated his misery by letting revenge consume him and he would later be killed by the Philistines, while David eventually succeeded Saul as king.
In our Gospel readings, last week Jesus gave us the Beatitudes, the center of his moral teachings. This week he continues his moral teachings concerning human relations by placing a special emphasis on the golden rule, “Do to others as you would have them do unto you.” And he gives us a list of particular commands: Love your enemy. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who mistreat you. Give without expecting a return. For Jesus, love is a fundamental attitude that seeks good for others, no matter the cost. Jesus challenges us to do for others what God has done for us. “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.” For we are all sinners. We fail in many ways, but God still loves us and still forgives us. He blesses us with his life as well as material and spiritual things and there is no real way, we can ever pay him back. At every Mass we pray the “Our Father” asking God to forgive us as we forgive others. Too often we may like to hold onto grudges against someone who has offended us. But when we forgive others, we are healed more than the person that we forgive.
Jesus concludes by telling us to stop judging others and we will not be judged. If we stop condemning, we will not be condemned. If we forgive, we will be forgiven. And if we are generous and give, we will be gifted in return with a generosity beyond what we can imagine. So let us pray for the Holy Spirit to inspire us and to guide us to be all that Jesus and the Father ask us to be.