Finding Faith When Public Figures Fall, by Chris Martin, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 23, 2011

Finding Faith When Public Figures Fall

By Chris Martin
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
June 23, 2011

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/civil-religion/chris-martin/article_9c0e4d32-9db5-11e0-9272-001a4bcf6878.html

corapi

There seems to be a lot of chatter in the Catholic community in the past few days about the end of Fr. John Corapi’s public ministry as a priest. Corapi, a priest of 20 years whose personal conversion story along with his charismatic yet no-nonsense approach to evangelization vaulted him into the limelight, had built quite a following around the nation through radio, television and public speaking engagements.

I must admit that I never paid much attention to Fr. Corapi. It isn’t that I have any personal bias against him or anything he said, I honestly just never had much interest. I know that sounds rather callous, but when I spend 15 hours a day praying, counseling, teaching and sharing the faith with people, I don’t spend my down-time listening to other priests homilies (with the exception of the Pope of course).

But I think that regardless of “right and wrong”, “guilty or innocent” concerning the current situation, there are a few greater spiritual goods that may be going on. Let’s presume, as even civil law would state, that Fr. Corapi is 100% innocent of having an indecent relationship with a woman and that his removal from public ministry is an injustice. Does this mean that God cannot draw good from this situation? Absolutely not!

Many great saints throughout Church history were misunderstood, unjustly condemned, silenced by superiors etc. Take the example of Padre Pio, a mystic who was ordered under obedience to cease celebrating public masses and interacting with the public for years. His response? Obedience. Patient endurance. The outcome? Humility, grace, and vindication.

A strong personality cult is a very spiritually dangerous thing for any man or woman to have, due to the great pride that can build within the individual. St. Paul fought against this temptation by “boasting of (his) weakness”(2Cor 11:30). In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul tears his garments when the crowd gathers to worship him as a god. St. John Chrysostom, a man renowned for his preaching, once was told that he had a wonderful sermon. “I know,” he said, “the devil told me so before I even sat down.” So all of us, at different times in our lives, may be graced with moments that knock us down a notch. Praise God for those moments because they remind us that God is God and we are not.

For those who feel disheartened or lost when a very charismatic individual falls from grace or is hidden from the limelight, another scripture passage comes to mind. “Put no trust in princes, in mere mortals powerless to save” (Ps 146:3). Whereas it is good and holy for us to acknowledge the good gifts that God has placed within individuals, we always remember that it is God who is the source of those gifts.

So at moments like this, it becomes an opportunity for all of us to reaffirm that God has the first place in our heart, and that we remain rooted and grounded in faith in Him, not in one of His flock. If life were a symphony, God would be the composer, conductor and they maker of instruments. Every instrument has its place and time in the piece. At some moments they ring out loudly and shine before the audience. At other times, they are called to rest and be silent. And in music, moments of silence are as important as the notes we play.