Many times when we experience a wound to the physical body, we end up bearing a scar. And many times, the scarring can become painful and cause us to remember that which caused the wound in the first place. 

 

The scandalous revelations of moral crimes among our clergy and those in high positions of trust continue to pound at the rock that is our faith. Even though we are continually reminded that the vast majority of the abuses brought to light happened in the past and, in some cases, the far distant past, and that the Church has done much since the Church began to bleed from the reports uncovered 18 or so years ago in Boston — it is of little comfort to the pain we continue to bear.

 

This latest scourge of reports of abuse in our Catholic Church is our scar tissue. The terrible past caused the scars we all carry, even though we, as individuals, did nothing to create or deserve them. The horrible sins of others are great burdens for all of the Catholic faithful. These sins carry a painful weight for us, the faithful, and most especially for those priests who have not abused others or their positions of authority. The news, whether past or present, continually exacerbates the pain of our scars.

 

Many believed the revelation of clergy sex abuse was behind us. After all, strict protocols were put in place after the bishops gathered in Dallas and created the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in 2002. Since that painful time, the Church remained on alert to report abuse by anyone under care of the Catholic Church. 

 

Each diocese here in the United States continued to live under a powerful microscope of scrutiny. All employees and volunteers must undergo training and background checks to assure the safety of those whom we serve and work with. We train our children and our parents to recognize signs of abusive behaviors and to report it. Outside auditors visit our dioceses to examine what the Church is doing to create, maintain and assure safe environments and how it is done and how accountable those practices are. There have even been complaints by a few that the Church has been overly strict. 

 

But then we hear about more abhorrent abuses of persons and power in Ireland, Chile, Australia and now back around to the U.S. again. And we realize our best efforts may not be enough. It is clear our Church needs help, and it needs us.

 

The new reports of past crimes give rise to the painful scars we worked on getting past. We now know that there is more work to do. Many even say the news will get worse before it gets better. 

 

As with a physical wound, there are ways to manage or eliminate the pain from a scar. We rely on others to help us figure out the best way to deal with our discomfort. We call upon doctors, therapists, our friends, our pharmacy to assist us in finding comfort and getting on to a new phase in our healing. We seek help to get beyond our pain to a new and clearer path.

 

As Catholics, we need to do this too. We need to support and work on ways to improve the accountability and moral climate in our homes, our schools and our churches. Nothing improves if we simply walk away from the process. We need each other, we need forgiveness and we need Christ.

 

We also need to realize that in addition to the scars of others, we all bear scars of our own sins. No church is made of up of perfect, sinless people. We follow Christ to become perfect and to be with Him in heaven. We do not follow a priest. We do not follow each other. We follow Christ. We come together in our churches to publicly declare our desire to save our souls so therefore we still need the Church and it needs us, imperfect as we are. But it is Christ and His Words and His example that are the answer to what ails us and the Church. 

 

Our time, talents and treasure are still needed to help bring about a better, stronger and more purified Church. In our pain and in our sorrow over the scars some in the Church have caused us, we need to work on our response and look to Christ to help us — the same Christ who continues to love us despite the wounds and scar tissue He bore for us.