"Parish Donations During a Time of Scandal" continued

     What if the withholding of collection donations is meant to send a message to the Church as an institution?  First of all, one has to ask, what kind of message is one sending?  As an institution, the Catholic Church functions like no other because its primary inspiration is focused on Jesus Christ and its nature is redemptive.  Jesus Christ offered himself, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous so that eternal salvation can be a reality for us.  He revealed the organic nature of the Church by His life.  As a body of believers, blaming one person or another for crime (whether it is justified or not) should not affect our response.  Many of the saints who are often called “victim souls” suffered terrible pain and trials in reparation for the sins of others – all in imitation of Christ.  The scandal plaguing our Church today is not a different case.  The crimes committed by a small percentage of the clergy and the cover-ups and shuffling of these criminals are by no means to be down-played or excused, but our reaction cannot be the  “My money is better spent elsewhere!” mentality either.  For the sake of justice the victims deserve to be compensated for their suffering at the hands of those representing the Church.  The settlements are meant to be conciliatory and as members of the Church reconciliation is part of our mission, even if it involves making reparations to those victimized by our own clergymen.  Whether or not the same amount or a larger donation is to be made at the collections is a matter of individual discernment, but our contributions to our parishes should continue as an expression of our identity with Christ.  Of course, every Christian should be outraged and seek justice for this terrible situation that the Church (especially in the U.S.) is in, even if it involves the possible ecclesiastical and civil indictment of certain bishops and cardinals.  At the same time our conciliatory attitude toward the victims and their families must be on the same level.  Let us pray that this time of shame, sorrow and reconciliation we be an opportunity for the Church to be renewed and strengthened.

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