BOSTON (MA)
New Boston Post
September 12, 2018
By Kevin Thomas
I attended a Catholic seminary from 1978 to 1980 and …
No, I don’t have any lurid stories to share.
I believe I’m in the majority among seminarians but, obviously, there are problems … in seminaries and parishes. Another wave of sexual abuse scandals is rocking the Catholic Church in the United States. From Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s predator past being exposed, to a Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing hundreds of clerical abusers, to the latest accusations of a papal cover-up.
What is a Catholic to do? I mean, besides becoming saddened, frustrated, and angrier than words can describe.
For a practicing Catholic, leaving the Church is never been an option. This is not a club. We did not sign on because of fallible men, but because of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. We believe God’s presence is in our churches. If not, why would we bother?
Modern Catholic writer Eve Tushnet, who often delivers sincerity and clarity in her works, writes:
“There are times when words fail, when prayers don’t come, when you have no idea how to live in gratitude for a life which seems consumed by confusion, injustice, or suffering. In those times, the silence of the Eucharist can be great solace. Simply being present with Him is enough.”
There are times, like when I read again of evil in our church, I must simply sit in a chapel, before the tabernacle. A great solace, indeed.
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