Difficult days

The Church is going through distressingly difficult days, and some Catholics have turned away from their faith in disappointment.

When Jesus said, ‘your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God’ (Luke 9:60), He knew all of our human frailties. He’d been sold to the authorities by Judas, and denied three times by Peter. He’d also experienced His followers’ lack of faith on occasions.

It’s deeply disturbing that some of our priests have failed us, have broken our trust, and hidden their sins of abuse. They have sadly succumbed to human frailty. But that doesn’t change what’s at the heart of our Catholic faith – clearly captured in The Apostle’s Creed.

Let us pray for the healing of victims of abuse, pray for Pope Francis who has dedicated himself to rightful action in these matters, pray for ourselves and for one another – so that we don’t allow the faith given to us by Jesus to be tainted or destroyed by feelings of anger, discouragement and betrayal.

Let us also pray for those priests who have fallen into sins of abuse – that they acknowledge their wrongdoing, wholeheartedly repent, and make reparation where possible.

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only son, our Lord who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell, and on the third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen