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August 14, 2005

Saints and Sinners

An acquaintance says that people who go to church are hypocrites who think they're better than others. My response is, "Most people who go to church do so because they realize what big sinners they are." I guess my acquaintance's point is that only saints should go to church. Hmmm... they'd be empty then. Oh. I guess that is her point - no one should go to church!

I'm also reminded of something Oscar Wilde, a deathbed convert, said, "The Catholic Church is for saints and sinners alone. For respectable people the Anglican Church will do." ... saints and sinners covers most of us ...

If my faith depended on how other people acted, I'd be admitting my lack of faith in Christ as the Messiah and in His promise that Hell would not prevail against His Church.

John Mallon sums it up well:

[I]f my faith depended on the sinlessness of priests I'd be in big trouble. I have known cruel and vicious priests as well as men of great kindnesses. John Geoghan was my parish priest when I was a kid, and I see the names of my schoolmates in the paper as his victims. I am not a Catholic because of how priests behave. I've known some very holy priests, I've known some very bad priests. Most are kind of a mixture of the two like the rest of us.

So some very bad priests committed some very evil crimes against God's precious little ones. And in dealing with it, Cardinal Law, by his own admission, really bungled it. So I'm supposed to let that ruin my faith? Rubbish! My faith is built upon the rock of Christ, who declared Peter to be the rock and built His Church upon him. Peter, the first Pope. Peter who betrayed Jesus. Yes, that is my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against her. As we have seen the gates of hell will certainly try to prevail, but don't expect me to jump ship.

. . .

All priests sin. Surprise. Bishops, cardinals and popes too. (The pope goes to confession every week—do you think he needs to go more than you do?) Some priests commit crimes. They should be brought to justice. Some priests commit abominations and scandal. Jesus said, "Woe to him through whom scandal comes. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck." So if you think you're angry, chew on that.

"I am Not Ashamed," by John Mallon, Peter's Voice

Posted at August 14, 2005 07:33 PM | Categories: Catholicism

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