As the depths of the moral and spiritual corruption in the hierarchy continue to be brought into the light, many in the laity are wondering what should and can be done in response? Some want massive overhauls of the hierarchy, but quite frankly, that is not in our power within the laity.
We should, and must, demand accountability, correction, reform, strong leadership, justice, and a cleansing of the Church. We need our shepherds to in fact shepherd, and as they dither and waver, souls are lost as people leave the Church.
Lives have been utterly destroyed and a great wedge has been placed between the laity and the hierarchical priesthood. Our trust has been broken one too many times and the betrayal is a deep wound in the Mystical Body. It is a destructive divide that has gotten wider and it has created division even between good and holy priests and the laity. The Enemy has made a direct hit, but all hope is never lost, and Christ constantly renews His Church throughout her course in history for the betterment and good of souls.
While many members of the Church—both priests and laity—put forth ideas and proposals to fix the situation, it is clear that the entire Church needs to come together to find solutions in order to root out—what appears to be—widespread corruption in the highest echelons of the Church. God is cleansing His Church and He will appoint the right people from all levels of the Church to help bring good out of evil. Purification is painful, so the process will be difficult for all of us. We love Christ and His Church, and it is both maddening and heart-breaking to see the evil currently being brought into the light.
We trust that He will raise up saints for our time to help us through this difficult period. He has done it before and we know He will do it again, but he is not only calling a few chosen souls to be saints. He is calling you and me to become saints. Through our constant conversion of heart and ardent desire to lead holy lives, Christ will heal the festering wound that is hurting the Mystical Body. We all have a role to play. We are one body, united together under the headship of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
The call to holiness and the mission for our lives is given to us in Baptism. The essence and meaning of our lives is fully realized in our baptismal promises and our participation in the life of Christ and His Church. We die to our old selves and put on Christ. This transforms us at the deepest levels of reality, but it also means we are meant to move outwards in order to transform the world around us and draw others to Christ through the holiness of our lives. Holiness is not something we achieve in isolation. We learn to become holy people of God through the life of the Church, the Sacraments, prayer, our vocations, and the holy relationships we develop with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not in this alone. Holiness is not a path of isolation. It is a path grounded and firmly rooted in communion.
Read the rest over at Catholic Exchange.
Swimming the Depths 