Endurance and Faith
We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, as is fitting, because your faith flourishes ever more, and the love of every one of you for one another grows ever greater. Accordingly, we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God regarding your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and the afflictions you endure. This is evidence of the just judgment of God, so that you may be considered worthy of the Kingdom of God for which you are suffering. 2 Thessalonians 1:3-5
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves. Matthew 23:13-15
Piety
Where the heart is without fear, and the head held high…
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments…
Where words come out from the depths of truth…
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way…
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let our country awake. Amen.
(Rabindranath Tagore [1861-1941] was considered the greatest writer in modern Indian literature. He was a Bengali poet, novelist, educator, and the Nobel Laureate for Literature [1913]. Tagore was awarded a knighthood in 1915, but he surrendered it in 1919 in protest against the Massacre at Amritsar, where British troops killed around 400 Indian demonstrators.)
Study
Within days of when the Pennsylvania grand jury report came out, the daily scripture reading spoke to us about bringing the children to Jesus. ( "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.")
Now this passage about the Pharisees is offered as the human leadership of the church comes under fire daily from within and without, as if we are all politicians elected to terms of office, rather than baptized into our roles as priests, prophets, and kings.
However, the spirit of Paul’s letter to the people of Thessalonika might as well have been sent to the people of Fairfax, or Buenos Aires, or Rome or Knock.
I think that a recent commentary by Inés San Martin speaks in the spirit of Paul’s letter. In reflecting on her coverage of recent stories, she reminds us of the following:
1) Studies tell us that anywhere between 3 to 7 percent of priests are part of the problem. That’s a huge number.
2) But the number of priests, bishops, nuns, religious and popes who want to be a part of the solution is even bigger.
3) Find them. Support them. Be proud of them. Pray for them.
They are suffering as are the laity, upset that the crisis drags on. However, while steps must continue to be taken to resolve this, there also are needs around us which can not be ignored.
Action
Fr. Michael Doyle, the pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Camden, NJ, sends a monthly letter from the vantage point of his inner-city parish caught in the crosshairs of gang violence, drugs, and crimes of all sorts.
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| Fr. Michael and students, May 2009. |
While the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People specifically addresses the scourge of children abused by clergy (and the need to report all cases to authorities), all children deserve protection. Yet, month-after-month, I encounter the tragic stories of protection-deficit children killed, maimed, or paralyzed by guns and drugs that are rampant on the streets and sidewalks and homes in and around Camden.
I consider these envelopes to be the Epistles of Michael Doyle to the world. In two pages every moon phase, Fr. Doyle, the proverbial “Poet of Poverty,” relates stories about the lives (and deaths) that he and his parishioners experience. Some months, he shares with us the stories of growing up in Ireland. Other times, he brings those stories forward and connects them to his parishioners in Sacred Heart Church and school in Camden, NJ.
Each letter calls me to action. To open my mind to these stories. To open my heart in prayer for the protection of these children. To open my wallet to sponsoring a child in Sacred Heart School.
Sacred Heart Parish School, in ministry with the parish, is committed to service, justice, and compassion. Together, with its families and Parish, they are dedicated to the pursuit of academic excellence, the achievement of individual potential, and fostering a culture of high expectations and moral values.
This year, Sacred Heart School needs 3,350 sponsors for its children who go back-to-school September 5. Join me in sponsoring one (or three) students. Please become a Sponsor and keep the red doors open for the children of Camden. You can become a Sponsor with: a single contribution of $300 or three contributions of $100 or six contributions of $50 or twelve contributions of $25 students.
1739 Ferry Avenue, Camden, NJ 08104
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