- 1st Reading – Sirach 27:4-7
- 2nd Reading – 1 Corinthians 15:54-58
- Gospel – Luke 6:39-45
You may have heard that Pope Frances convened a summit week before last 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 had begun on Thursday and wrapped up last Sunday. 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 nearly every continent, and affects the entire Church. On Wednesday, before the summit, those in attendance were able to hear directly form 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 the reporting 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 that were 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 only ended a week ago, 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 truth and love will prevail.
Our readings form the last few weeks and today give us examples of how God expects us to treat one another.
In our Gospel readings, two weeks ago Jesus gave us the Beatitudes, the center of his moral teachings. Last week he continued 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.” Then he went on to list several particular commands: Love your enemy. Do good to those who hate you. “Pray for those who mistreat you. Give without expecting a return. At the end of last weeks Gospel, Jesus told us, “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus expands on those last thoughts by telling us a parable with three distinct elements, but which are interrelated and seem to flow together one after the other. “Can a blind person lead a blind person? Why do you perceive the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? A good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a rotten tree produce good fruit.” These too refer to our relations with others. It’s easy to see the faults of others while remaining blind to our own inadequacies. ——-We fail to notice that we often fall short of the standards that we expect of others. We have to come to an accurate awareness of our own faults and correct them first. As Jesus said, “Remove the beam from your own eye first.” By spending more time in prayer, and reflecting on our own relationship with God, we become more and more aware of our own faults and failures. The more spiritually sensitive we become the more we realize the impact of our actions on God and on the people around us. And along with this growing awareness comes the realization of how to lead our lives in a better way.
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. 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.
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.