2019 has arrived. We have passed the threshold of the New Year. Christmas is behind us … the Twelve Days are approaching an end … Epiphany beacons … and life goes on.
I hope that your Christmas was a blessed time. Mine was very different in tone this year. This is my second Christmas in retirement, and while I enjoy the lessening of the workload, I became nostalgic for Christmas past - especially the blessing of celebrating with and ministering to the People of God in the parishes. I did attend and celebrate on Christmas morning with my sister and our home parish family, but even that was different. The strong Polish parish is now one of four in the town that are ministered to by two good priests with assistance and a shared liturgical schedule … a sign of the times. Even the worship aid of Christmas carols had only one page of Polish carols (out of five) and there were only two that I knew.
My time at home with my sister, Jane, was quiet and enjoyable for she is not only a good sister and a great cook, but a best friend and blessing.
My Christmas was tempered by the fact that a brother priest for all of my priesthood, a friend and fellow resident of our retirement residence for over the past year, was sentenced a few days before Christmas for an incident of sexual abuse committed twenty-seven years ago in a moment of weakness. The justice for the victim of this transgression was realized in this guilty plea and sentencing, but the penalty of eleven and a half months to five years in prison for this friend and brother and the negating of a lifetime of service to the gospel despite this sin, affected me deeply. Despite being described as a "predator priest", here is a good man who made a terrible mistake and must now pay a price that sets an example. What disturbs me most is that this societal justice seems to be couched in a spirit of revenge, of wanting my "pound of flesh" … in contrast to the biblical and spiritual concept of justice which is tempered by mercy. Surely the transgressor must pay the price … but as Church we are called by the Lord to be merciful, to seek reconciliation, to restore the sinner to grace and to heal those broken by sin - sinner and victim alike. I do not see that happening in our present crisis, and this absence is a much greater challenge and crisis for the Church than these terrible revelations of sexual abuse by clergy of years ago. These are not easy days for the Church, and I'll speak on that later.
But now we step into a new year, one to which the Lord desires to bring his blessings. We must move forward in trust and in hope for the future. This morning at our Mass, our celebrant spoke of the gift of Mary, as our Mother and the Mother of the Church, as a reassuring sign of that hope. She says to us … my YES to the will of God brought you my son. I give him to you daily as your Lord and Savior. He is a just judge, but he is first and foremost a redeemer who has paid (at great price) the cost of our sinfulness in order that we may lay aside our sin and failure and grow through grace into holiness of life. If we as Church see Jesus as Redeemer, then we serve him and each other and witness to the world with a heart filled with mercy and understanding and bring about true healing and peace. It is a message that the world community does not understand nor want … but it is a message vital to our survival.
May each step along the journey in this year of grace 2019 bring you joy and happiness and the deep reassurance of the enduring love that Christ has for you. May we be strong and unafraid, and may we bear witness to the gentle mercy of the Savior.
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