Ever since the Globe broke the story about the Sexual Abuse scandal in the Church, the entire world seems to have changed: more sexual scandals broke out in schools, ballet companies, orchestras, camps... Then, the carnage began to show... No, I am not simply talking about the abuse victims and all the lawsuits. I am talking about the neglected parishioners. The Institution is so busy putting out the flames, it has forgotten that the Christ established the Church so that She can SERVE His people.
It seems that many (not all) of our bishops and priests are still living in the Medieval times, believing that their sole responsibility is to institute Eucharist – no priest, no Eucharist... Well... If Christ had not walked amongst us, and had not died and rose for us, then this Eucharist (which means Thanksgiving) would have been meaningless. The thing is... The Eucharist is not just a symbol of the person in whom we trust, it IS all that He has done and still doing. The Eucharist IS the bread of heaven, for which we ask in the Lord's prayer "... give us this day of daily bread..." The Eucharist IS Christ. So, shouldn't the priests, who were given the privilege of being the vessel for God, strive to follow His footsteps? or is the whole liturgy, in their minds, merely a theatrical performance?
Some priests think that by "spice up" our liturgy they would draw the younger crowd in, they make loud gestures and tell not very funny jokes, using popular culture as references, run up and down the isles... some would go so far just short of an Altar Call for the sinners to come up and receive forgiveness... By the time they finished their homily (or sermon), one has forgotten what the Gospel said...
Quite a few of my friends, who desires beauty in Liturgy has left their parish community to join a community that celebrate liturgies in Latin. After I listened to them speak about their experience, I realized that they were not simply drawn to the rite; they were drawn to the parish where the pastor has visited each and everyone of the families. He knew the children's names and he knew the families' struggles. When we lived in southern TX, we often heard stories of the seven priests who rode from the Mission into different communities. The Church now needs missionaries more than ever! And I am not talking about importing priests from another culture. I am talking about the kind of priests who are willing to get their hands dirty, to work alongside of their parishioners, and to bring Christ into the community, AGAIN. And our bishops also need to do the same – visit their parishes in the diocese, get to know their priests personally, get to know the parishes’ needs and the priest’s capabilities.
The victims of the Sexual scandal are not simply the families that suffered abuse directly, but the entire faith community. Not only that they have to redefine their relationship with the Church: from seeing their priests as (literally) Christ in person to accepting that the priest is also a human being and prone to sin; and their bishops are also human beings and prone to sin; and that the Church is made of human beings that are prone to sin. But they also have to cope with the fact that the Church, now enveloped in the sexual scandal, has little energy left to focus on her true mission. The Church now is functioning on fear, like soldiers surrounded by enemy who cannot see beyond the barricade and lacking a strong leader to give them Hope.
While the Chaos in the Church seems to be never ending, the Grace of our Lord is still present in His people. We might NOT be able to turn bread and wine into Body and Blood of our Lord, but the Lord did say, "where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there with you." We need missionary priests and bishops, who would come into our midst, and see us NOT as their subjects who pay taxes or insurance money for a place in heaven, but fellow saints and sinners to build Christ's kingdom.
Give us this day of daily BREAD and form us in your Grace. Amen