"Do Not Be Afraid"
When our beloved Pope John Paul II made his first appearance after his election, there standing on the balcony at St. Peter's Basilica, his first words to the enormous crowd in the Plaza were: "Do not be Afraid." When Jesus walked on the water and the Apostles were afraid He'd sink, they were afraid, and Jesus told them not to be. We should never be afraid when we walk in the presence of the Lord. If we walk with Him, loving Him by trying not to sin, then we have nothing to be afraid of. People who aver to be with the Lord but who are just paying Him lip service, I would not want to be in their shoes. If I were, I would, indeed, be afraid.
There are many Catholic people who place themselves above the guidance that the Church provides for them. They adhere to extremely liberal interpretations of Scripture in the name of fraternity, in the name of being brother or sister to everyone. Jesus did say that we should love Him and we should love our brothers and sisters as we love ourselves. This love for other people should be freely given, not for self-satisfaction or some other reason that is selfishness, self-serving, possessive, or empty. A very lonely person who is seeking companionship is not the type of love Jesus is asking us to have for others because that is, as unfortunate as a lonely person may be, a self-serving season. And, living with someone out of wedlock... that too, is not the love Jesus is talking about. When the situation is sinful, it is self-serving.
In one of the three religious orders I've been associated with, the teachers explained to us that this closeness to other people should be like Mother Teresa, a total self-giving for the sake of people in need, for all people. This was illustrated by two religious brothers sharing a bed and sleeping side by side. Most understood the implication of this theoretical example, but some laughed and it was clear that they thought of a relationship that is not desired in Catholic religious orders. Life in fraternity in a group of men or women (but not both) can produce some very close relationships but the desired teaching is that the members all become close to each other with Christ in the center. That is a filial relationship and when done right, it is a beautiful thing. But on the other hand there are more liberal interpretations that see different things in fraternity life. They feel that the love in fraternity is a deeper love of one person rather than a mutual love for all. That's dangerous, and that's why so many institutions fail. In the end, the offending members are purged. The Holy Spirit tells them what to do (even leave the order) and all comes out okay in the end but so many people along the way get hurt. I left the religious order after two years because I was afraid: I felt threatened and I did not feel unity with them. Perhaps I should have listened to God to be not afraid. I should have been more tolerant. But in the long run I believe I would have left anyway. But I do not regret the experience of these two years. It taught me much about people and about God.
People who encourage the Catholic Church to condone a whole basketful of actions that these folks feel benefit people in general, should really think about what they are saying. There are people out there who call themselves Catholic and who are pro-choice. Now they are looking for a new Pope who will say, Oh sure, that's fine. But the truth is that the Vatican would never satisfy these Catholics, nor people who think that birth control is normal, euthanasia is merciful, and that same-sex marriages are to be blessed by the church. The Church upholds the Teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ and simply does not weaken its stand on issues that people want relief on. Nor should they! Granting such relief would be tantamount to granting people the right to sin and to offend God. Fortunately, the number of such liberal Catholics is far smaller than the media wishes us to believe. There are many good people working in the media field, but there are some very irreverent, even evil people working there who twist the truth to satisfy their own agenda. Hitting on the Catholic Church has always been fair game. And the Church deserved some of it. It left itself wide open in the recent scandals pertaining to pedophilia. But what I object to is this continual hammering on the recent history of the past. Let's move on, people. Let's give this 2000-year institution a chance to heal. While these scandals happened on the turf of our great Pope, he is not to blame, and I'm not even sure that he was made aware of these problems in USA until it was too late. The problems that led to these many priests coming forward as a result of being accused came about when they were young priests, for the most part. All this happened in the 1950-1970 time period. Married priests are not the answer, nor are women priests - the answer is continual stress by the Bishops that priests maintain a strong faith, and live in God's presence. And if they cannot achieve that, they should come forward and speak to their Bishops. In the end, the Holy Spirit will cleanse our Church. But finding a more liberal Pope isn't the answer either.
Do Not Be Afraid.... even though the times we live in are dangerous. They are dangerous because there are so many people who have turned away from God. People have, by their actions, told God and themselves, that "I can do a better job." Well, it isn't so. Without God at the helm of your ship, you cannot do a thing. Do not be afraid... repent, come back to Me (as Jesus says), rejoin my flock... and become ready to be with Me in paradise. Amen.
4-10-2005
Fred S. Schaeffer, SFO