I am a person who delights in the daylight. The longer the opportunity to be out in the sun the better. Thus the beginning of the return to "regular time" which began this past weekend with the end of Daylight Saving Time does not make me happy.
However, it is not only the lessening of daylight in our lives, but the pervasive darkness of evil in our society and our world as the years go on that concerns me even more. There is a new program on one of the networks that is entitled "Evil". I have not and will not watch the program for the simple reason that there is enough evil in the world today for me to deal with. With evil comes darkness, and with darkness comes fear and from fear comes confusion and even more darkness.
Our world is set on a path that does not reflect gospel values and therefore is often devoid of God's love and mercy. We are self-centered and self-possesed. We are often filled with hurt and anger and seek our "pound of flesh". We accuse, we sue, we hate, we harden our hearts, and we are found wanting in so many ways.
As I mentioned in my last post, the scandal that has publically rocked our Church since the terrible revelation of pedophilia and sexual abuse of minors by priests in the Boston area in 2002 and the subsequent revelations over the years has brought us to our knees. The efforts of the Church to deal with these sinful acts of some of her ministers and the Church's failures to respond adequately continue to be ongoing as we find better ways to deal with this darkness. The Pennsylvania Grand Jury report of last August and the growing inquiries across the nation and the world reveal a need to be vigilant in living the gospel ... the need to address those who have been hurt and devastated by these sinful acts ... the desire for justice for the accusing victims as well as for the accused victims (I include those accused because not all have been found guilty or have had their ability to defend their good names before being condemned and labeled) ... and the need to repent, to forgive, to heal and to restore dignity to all caught up in this mess.
In my reading I have heard time and time again that the vast majority of sexual pedophiles (young children) or of adolescent teens are found in families: parents or siblings or grandparents or aunts and uncles, etc. In an article in Psychology Today this past August it was pointed out that 4% of Catholic clerics had credible or substantiated accusations of child sexual abuse of minors in the last fifty years. This same article mentions a U.S. Department of Education study that found that about 6% of public school teachers had credible or substantiated claims of abuse during the same time period. It also pointed out that 3 to 5 % of all men meet the criteria for pedophilia. It concludes that "there is simply no evidence that Catholic priests sexually abuse children or teens at rates higher than other groups of men." This is not presented as an excuse but rather to place the crisis in a more proper framework.
Sexual abuse is rampant in society. The abuse of children is particularly abhorant. The fact that men of God who minister a gospel of dignity and love are found guilty of such acts is scandalous beyond imagining. But that the Church and her priests are part of an organized criminal activity to be singled out and made examples of is unfair and unjust. Serious mistakes have been made in some cases by the Church in her handling of these cases, but to go after the Church, attempting to bring her down or to get big settlements is a "lawyer thing" that fuels the anti-Catholic attitude still found in our society. When was the last time you saw a school district or other organization being accused or sued or dragged over the coals? We have much to be ashamed of ... much to make amends for ... tremendous work to bring healing and forgiveness to devastating memories. But we have Christ Jesus to place our faith in, to be our hope for a better and more enlightened world, and whose love is beyond any hurt or limitation or darkess that we face.
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