To be a Catholic today, you need a really thick skin. We can glory in the persecution on behalf of Jesus but we are only human and it does wear thin. I am talking very specifically about the ongoing sexual abuse situation in the Church and the apparent mishandling that has gone on for far too long. Predators are predators whether they wear a Roman collar or not. That the small percentage (less than 2%) of priests who obviously allowed the devil to lead them down this path are causing all priests to be viewed in this horrific light is very disheartening. I am equally sickened for the victims of these crimes. All of this is not about God's work. I recently read an article that stated that Munich's vicar general, who served under Archbishop Ratzinger at the time, has assumed "full responsibility" for the a predatory priest's reassignment. This case, which recently came to light, has caused Pope Benedict a considerable amount of discomfort. The vicar general has insisted that then-Archbishop Ratzinger was not informed of the decision. It may be true. I often wonder how in the world the Pope can command the entire universal church but I am sure that God is in control. We must demand that the predators be revealed. We cannot allow this to continue. There in now a case in the Diocese of Baton Rouge that was revealed last week. Bishop Muench was very quick to respond to the charges and has placed the accused priest on administrative leave. I know the priest personally and am having a tough time believing that he did such a thing. I am not God however and can not know what lies inside a man's mind. I am praying that it is not true. I am also praying for the person that made the charges. It certainly casts a different light on the situation when it hits so close to home. Our skin has certainly thickened in Baton Rouge.
The spiritual climax of the Gospel of John, as Father John Waiss points out, occurs at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus utters his parting words: “Woman, behold, your son!” and “Behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27). While these words were addressed to the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the Church has long understood this moment as a universal adoption. To truly image Christ, we must share in His parentage; if we embrace God as our spiritual Father but reject Mary as our mother, we treat Christ as a half-brother rather than our "firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). As Origen noted as early as the third century, the profound depths of the Gospel are only accessible to those who, like John, rest their heads on Jesus’ breast and receive Mary into their own homes. This maternal role is deeply rooted in biblical typology, positioning Mary as the fulfillment of the great mothers of the Old Covenant. She is the New Eve , the mother of all the living according ...
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