Do Not Exit, by James J. Drummey, St Johns Valdosta Blog, June 21, 2008

Do Not Exit

By James J. Drummey
St. John's Valdosta Blog
June 21, 2008

http://stjohnsvaldosta.blogspot.com/2008/06/do-not-exit.html

The Sorrowing Soul Between Doubt and Faith

by Elihu Vedder, 1887

from Catholic Replies

by James J. Drummey

The Wanderer

Q. A friend of mine who had been a faithful Catholic all his life was so upset by the sex abuse scandal and the failure of the bishops to deal with it properly that he has stopped going to Mass. What can I say to get him back to church?

A.First of all, you can agree with him that the immoral and criminal actions of some priests and the bishops' failure to rid the Church of these predators, were disgraceful, not only because children were not protected form sexual abuse, but also because the abuse was allowed to continue and to become widespread. No faithful Catholic can be anything but ashamed and angry at the way in which some bishops facilitated this tragedy.

Having said that, we must distinguish between the Church herself, which is always holy, and members of the Church, who have on many occasions over the centuries besmirched her good name and cause people to stay away fomr her life-giving sacraments. Turning one's back on the Church that Jesus founded to help us get to Heaven because some members of the Church have failed in their duty would be like rejecting one's own family because one or more members of the family had done something terrible.

We need to remind ourselves that the Church is not a museum for saints, but rather a hospital for sinners. We also need to remind ourselves that we cannot exist spiritually without the Church and the graces that flow from the wounded side of the crucified Christ.

There are many good reasons for being at Mass every weekend, or even every day. Here are some of them:

Because Jesus said before He died: "Do this in memory of me." By "this" He meant participate in the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Shouldn't we give at least one hour a week in memory of the God who gives us 168 hours a week?

Because the Mass is a sacrifice, the unbloody renewal of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, and a banquet that reminds us of the Last Supper.

Because the Mass is part of a celebration going on continuously in Heaven. The priest prays in the first Eucharistic Prayer that "your angel may take this sacrifice to your altar in Heaven."

Because the first purpose of Mass is adoration, that is, the worship and praise of God.

Because the second purpose of Mass is thanksgiving, that is, showing gratitude to God for all the blessings in our life.

Because the third purpose of Mass is petition, that is, taking the advice of Jesus, and asking God for what we need.

Because the fourth purpose of Mass is reparation, that is, making up for our sins and the sins of the world.

Because we can hear the word of God read from the Bible and applied by the priest to each one of us, so that we can be reminded of how God wants us to live.

Because we can join with our fellow Catholics in professing the faith that we believe.

Because we can join with our fellow Catholics in praying for our needs and the needs of the Church and the world.

Because we can offer together our gifts of bread and wine (and money too).

Because we can be present when Jesus comes down from Heaven as the priest changes the bread and wine into His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.

Because we can receive Holy Communion, the spiritual food that we need to nourish us on the journey and to get us to Heaven. "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life," Jesus said, "and I will riase him on the last day" (John6:54) Unless one is sick or confined to home, hospital, or nursing facility, and has Communion brought to him or her, there is no other place than a Catholic church where one can receive the Body and Blood of Christ.

The answer to the sex abuse scandal, and to all other problems confronting the Church and the world, is holiness. We must--each one of us--become more holy through prayer, fasting, Confession, and the Holy Eucharist. We must remain loyal to the Catholic Church and do all that we can by word and action to help restore the Church's moral authority in a fallen world. That restoration begins at Holy Mass.