Posted on September 9, 2018 View all news
Laudetur Jesus Christus! Gelobt sei Jesus Christus!
Sia lodato Gesù Cristo! Praised be Jesus Christ!
It has undoubtedly been a depressing few weeks for the Church. It is always difficult to see something one believes in and places our faith in seem to fail so miserably. This will certainly go down in history as one of the most challenging ages in the history of the Church.
The Church has often had difficult periods in her life. There was the Arian Heresy, in which most bishops were heretics that denied the Divinity of Christ. There was the great Western Schism, where we had three popes at one time. There was the Protestant Reformation, due in part to the corruption and inadequate formation of the clergy. There is today when a minority of clergy inflict terrible pain on children and young men and women by appalling crimes that call out to Heaven for vengeance. Where bishops created and continued a nasty web of abuse and predators, who preyed on young men, seminarians, and young priests with promises of prestige and advancement within our Church.
In the end, we are consoled by the words of both Our Lord and Our Lady. Our Lord promised St. Peter that the gates of hell would never prevail against the Church. Our Lady promised the children of Fatima that her Immaculate Heart would triumph. These words console us. It is in this that we must place our hope.
Even as we try to make sense out of all of the revelations that have been coming out, we must do a few things. Firstly, we must demand answers. Whatever one’s ideological opinions may be, we must demand answers no matter the consequences. Those on the right and those on the left have committed crimes against God, and all have the interest to ensure that this can’t happen again. As the Archbishop recently said, Archbishop McCarrick’s file must be opened and examined. Light must be shed on this affair if the Church is to move forward with the mission given to us by Christ. So all must demand answers, regardless of where you fall on the spectrum. St. Gregory the Great says: “It is better that scandals arise than the truth be suppressed.”
Secondly, as I have been saying for a few weeks, do penance! Our Lady of Fatima said more penance had to be done on earth. May our sacrifices today lead to a blossoming tomorrow. May our sacrifices today, united to the cross, strive to undo the unmeasurable damage done in the Church.
Lastly, we must pray. The Archbishop has called on us to pray this coming Friday, the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. We must pray for the Church, for the clergy, for those who have been abused and taken advantage of. Please come to our Mass of reparation on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and pray, as we continue to seek answers and to bring healing. I am asking everyone to take an hour of Reparation during the all-night Eucharistic Vigil before Our Lord. This is the best place to start to strengthen us for the days ahead as we strive to rebuild the Church, as God instructed St. Francis of Assisi.
Please know that we, the priests and brothers, pray for you daily, and please pray for us!
