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How Can They Not Get It?!
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April 5th ~ An Excerpt From Janet's "Driven From the Flock"
on the page entitled "Mom to Mom and Dad to Dad"
Another mother tells her son's story whenever she can. He, too, at 16, was brave enough to press charges against his priest for abuse. Although the priest pled guilty, both he and his family were abandoned by their church community and treated cruelly by the diocesan attorneys. Her son received a small settlement, but what he really needed was emotional support from the church community. At 20, he died by hanging. His mother still hasn't cashed her settlement check from the diocese — after all, how far can ten dollars go?
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April 4th ~ We Didn't Pray For the Victims At Our Church Again Today
We just about never do. On Sundays, the petitions, the prayers of the faithful, are written ahead of time for the reader, who also does those prayers. Wherever those petitions come from, over a year's time they include just about every petition possible for the good of humankind. But almost never do they mention the victims.
It's as though they are dirty little things to be purposely not mentioned, too embarrassing to be mentioned, like a relative with a venereal disease, back in the forties. As though not speaking of them can actually deny the reality of them. People write and ask me why the church is acting this way. And i have to admit sadly that i just do not know. It is beyond me.
What is so very frightening to the leaders of our church that it has despaired of God's own mercy and feels it must slash out at the very ones it has hurt and harmed and betrayed? What has the church found so frightening or so shameful that it has despaired of God's mercy and runs like a hysterical child who fears a whipping? Can power and money and access to vulnerable persons for sex be that important to the leaders of the Body of Christ? It is beyond me too.
While i was pondering those things, i began thinking about perps. That's a cop word for perpetrator. Perp. Even the sound fits. While "perpetrator" lends some degree of dignity-of-label, "perp" describes the reality. A man or woman who grabs a child’s body and uses it the same as she or he does the commode for a bowel movement. Perp.
Then i realized that this evil and criminal crisis in our church, of sexual abuse of anyone vulnerable, by those in power over them, has two types of Perps.
We have the actual Perpetrator who is the Perp. And we have the hierarchy Perpetuator who is the Perp. Perpetrator Perps and Perpetuator Perps.
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April 4th ~ Betrayed With a Kiss
At Palm Sunday Mass today, Father spoke about Jesus' betrayal by Judas' kiss. He went on to teach us that when a person goes to Holy Communion with mortal sin on his or her soul, he or she does the same as Judas did: betrays Jesus with a kiss. i was surprised to find that i agreed with Father and that i believe that still.
Then i found myself wondering: if it is so, that one who receives Communion with mortal sin on his soul is betraying Jesus with a kiss, what is one doing, then, who actually consecrates that same Eucharist with mortal sin on his soul? And what is one doing, then, who, with mortal sin on his soul, actually ordains a new priest, imbuing him with God's power to consecrate the Eucharist?
Doesn't look like poor Jesus has a chance in ...oops... Well, does it?
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About Abuse of Power, How Can They Not Get It?!
Today i was typing something Mother Veronica wrote for the first Sunday of Lent (see "Mother’s Meditations"). i came to St. Matthew’s part of his Gospel (16: 13–23) where Jesus had just praised Simon for having been open to the grace from our Father, that enabled Simon to recognize Jesus as the Son of God.
Therefore the scenario is that, starting with his question to Simon, Jesus:
a) gives Simon the opportunity to be open to grace from the Father,
b) refers to Simon as "blessed", thus educating him about blessedness and giving him
more self-knowledge,
c) tells Simon that he, Simon, has just been given an answer by God the Father.
As though that weren’t enough, Jesus goes further yet:
d) honoring and further educating Simon by changing his name to a big strong rock of a
name,
e) and founds the church on him.
As Mother said, "Is this not a spiritual highpoint for Peter?" God (Jesus) gives to Peter, a human, an awe-fully "big chunk" of God’s power!
And what is the first thing that Peter does with it? Peter tries to use his power OVER God! Peter abuses his God-bestowed power to rebuke God!!
Peter abuses his power, as Mother observed: "The newly constituted head of the church is attempting to dissuade the Messiah from fulfilling the Scriptures!" As Mother rhetorically asked: "Could Peter have fallen any lower spiritually?" Peter abuses his power to try to prevent Jesus from helping those most victimized, in that case, us sinners in need of salvation!!!
That chilling recognition made me recall the Scripture passage in which those Twelve, the disciples closest to Jesus, those under Jesus and most directly under Cephas, tried to prevent the little children from reaching Jesus. Jesus had to tell Peter and the rest of the disciples to let the little ones come to him.
The twelve apostles were actually trying to keep those most vulnerable children from reaching Jesus. Jesus had to rebuke them, because they were abusing his power, to the detriment of the children.
Sound familiar?
Sr. angela
copyght 02/19/04
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