The myriad of responses to the newest scandal in the Catholic Church

reflects how each of us have been affected, as the accusations reach even to the very top – to Pope Francis himself.

Those who left the Church in the past see this as a confirmation of their decision. Those who are minimally committed to the Church have concerns and are seriously entertaining whether they should leave the Church.  Those who are staunch supporters of the Catholic Church and would never consider leaving the Church are deeply wounded by the lack of authenticity of faith. We all fall in or around one of these camps and find ourselves asking, What do we do?

Allow me to suggest a few ideas to help us navigate these challenging times. We should ask a couple of questions, and, as we discover their answers, use them to help us respond to what God wants.

1. What is the Church? The Church is a group of sinful people who have come to believe in Jesus Christ through an encounter with the Holy Spirit. It is precisely because they are sinners that Jesus’ Gospel is so appealing. Despite their disorder, they believe that if they give themselves completely to Jesus, He will redeem their lives. They are not perfect, but many do change and become more holy. They are called by God to serve in various offices of the institutional Church. We all depend on God and on others fulfilling their office to their very best.
2. Why does the Church Exist? Jesus is the One who established the Church for the purpose of spreading the Gospel and leading the entire world to become his disciples. Each member of the Church has the responsibility to share Christ’s teachings, to evangelize, to form disciples and to serve the needs of the people around them. They are called to reveal the truth of Jesus Christ to a broken world that is deceived and bound by sin.
3. Each of us has to ask ourselves: On what does our faith stand?  If your faith has been bolstered by anything or anyone else besides Jesus, you have it in the wrong place. It must rest on Christ alone. He is the One who paid for us with His life and His heart.
4. Does the scandal nullify the Truth of Jesus or the inherent value and purpose of His Church? NO, although it does make the Church’s tasks more difficult to accomplish. While the mystery of the Church is just that, a mystery, the Church is still human and sinful. Its leaders are still human and just as much in need of God’s grace and forgiveness as its newest member.
5. So what do we do? What the Scriptures tell us to do.

Eph. 4:26 “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger…”  

We should all find this an outrage, but that does not give us permission to judge souls. Remember the woman caught in adultery (John 8)? What did Jesus tell the crowd to do then? “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).

6. Can we demand more of our leaders?  Yes, and we should, so long as we start demanding more of ourselves, too. We are not directly at fault for this scandal, but each of us in our own ways have fallen short of the mark. This is one thing we all have in common.

Let God lead you! – In these days, we must be careful not to add to what Satan is doing to bring about division within the Church and in the world. Therefore, let us return to prayer, fasting and other forms of sacrifice for the entire Church. Let us cry out to the Holy Spirit to lead us in every situation so that we can restore the Church. We need the Spirit to guide us to know when to speak truth in the darkness and when to remain silent so as not to add to the darkness. We need the Spirit’s help so that we may return to a place where the world looks to the Church once again for guidance amidst the madness.