Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington

The Bishop Writes

(From the May 22, 2003 edition of the Inland Register)

Healing and forgiveness provide an important foundation for helping those who are broken and sinful to become whole again – and even become saints. Take a look at Jesus in his public ministry: how he touched people so profoundly with mercy, with forgiveness, with hope for new life. He displays compassionate sensitivity to those who have fallen. In John 8 we hear the story of the woman accused of adultery. As Jesus encourages her to go forth to live a new life, we sense his warmth and his support.

The Samaritan woman at the well (John 4), Zacchaeus (Luke 19), Peter, Matthew (like Zacchaeus, a tax gatherer), the good thief on the cross, Thomas: These are just some of the examples of how Jesus reached out people, how he supported them as they faced the shadows of their lives, and then helped them become more integrated. He chose Peter – Peter, with all of his frailty and humanity – to be the head of the Church. Perhaps that’s why it is so easy for all of us to identify with this Apostle.

  Besides the stories of the Gospels, we can look at the lives of some of the great saints of the Church. Our history gives us examples from the very earliest days: As young men, Paul, Augustine, and Francis of Assisi all lived very checkered lives, but after a profound conversion of heart, they moved on to lives of great holiness. We can see similar examples in our own times, the powerful movement of the Holy Spirit, the power of grace, the power of conversion of heart. In her younger days, Dorothy Day gave witness to a life in disarray. Yet, as God’s grace worked on her, she became very focused on a mission that reflected so remarkably the life of Jesus. Someday she may very well join those whom the Church formally declares a saint.

People fail. They must live with their own brokenness, their own sinfulness. It’s too common today that when we see sinfulness, brokenness, we become harsh, even downright mean, toward those who have failed in some way. Not too many decades ago we approached alcoholism as symptomatic of a terrible weakness. Finally, we accurately observed that this is an illness, an ongoing life condition with which a person must live and deal. The term “recovered alcoholic” has long since passed into disuse. Now we more accurately speak of a “recovering alcoholic,” someone taking one day at a time, living humbly with the disease, needing the support of family and friends to maintain sobriety. Analogously, there are other compulsions, addictions, and weaknesses that afflict the human spirit and with which we must deal.

In stories of Jesus’ public ministry we hear about the lepers, ostracized by the society of those days. Now we know the condition as Hansen’s disease, a treatable medical condition. In those days, lepers survived by living in garbage dumps and begging. They were not allowed to go into the towns. Jesus heard their cry, and he healed them. Every human being in his kingdom is worthy of love and compassion.      

  Today, our society today has also created “lepers” who are ostracized and for whom there is little or no compassion. To make matters even worse, there are some who devote their energies, or the energies of their organization, to tearing down, to belittling, to demonizing others. Such a spirit and focus are completely contrary to the spirit of the Gospel and are certainly contrary to the call of Jesus to love, support, and build up one another as neighbor.  Forgiveness and compassion are integral to the message of Jesus, and they must also be central to the life of the Church.

Too often people idealize the Church or people within the Church, expecting both to be perfect. They are not.

We all strive for perfection, but the reality is that we are also human. From the Holy Father on down, we celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation with our confessor. The real skill and depth of spirituality can be seen in the ways we deal with our own humanity and the humanity of others, so that all of us grow on our spiritual journey. That’s a lifelong task. Negativity only becomes destructive and debilitating.

There is no question that certain human behaviors can cause terrible harm to self and to others. That’s why today the Church is looking to a victim-centered response to the sexual abuse situation. People have been hurt. We will try to the best of our ability to do what is right and just. On the other hand, we are still a community of faith that must reflect the spirit of Jesus – a spirit of forgiveness and healing. We must be committed to assisting everyone to become as spiritually healthy and whole as possible.

Most of all, in that commitment we must see ourselves and the Church as an instrument of the healing presence of Jesus. The celebration of sacraments and the commitment to community are vital to this endeavor. We do so not because we see perfection in our midst, but because this is the way of Jesus, who calls us to conversion of heart. He calls us to the mission of growing in holiness, in loving the Lord, in loving ourselves and one another.

May God grant to all of us the will, the wisdom, and the courage to follow that call faithfully.

Much peace and joy to all of you.

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