As I continue daily praying the "Healing Prayer for the Catholic Faith" (and I hope you are doing as well), I am thankful that this prayer, after lifting up to the Lord the victims of sexual abuse, prays for priests who have remained faithful to their vocation. As this issue continues to be in our minds and hearts and we are given information this week from our bishop naming 12 priests who have credibly been accused of sexual abuse of minors here in Arkansas over a period of 50 years or longer, I have to tell you that at our meeting with the bishop this past Monday, a few priests indicated that all of this is weighing heavy in their minds and hearts.
I am concerned about and praying for our young priests especially those who have only been pastors for a short time. I know they are doing their best personally to deal with all this AND help parishioners who are having a hard time with it as well. In addition to praying for them, I also urge you to include in your own prayers, the family members of the priests whose names have come out as perpetrators of these crimes against our children and young people, and people in congregations where these priests have served. I know they are going through many mixed emotions as they consider how these priests who faithfully brought Jesus to them through Mass and in other ways, could have done such terrible things to these young people. Getting back to our priests (expecially our young ones), please pray that they are not led by all this to consciously stay away from our children and young people out of fear of what some will think. Our children and young people can benefit greatly from encounters with priests and while priests must be prudent in how they handle themselves around children, it would indeed be a victory for the devil, if priests avoid children and young people, the very ones who are the future of our church AND some, our future priests.
Please take seriously the need for all of us to pray on an ongoing basis for the Church and its priests and people. It is our best weapon against the wickedness and snares of the devil and it can bring us to a peace in mind and heart that we need now AND always!
I am concerned about and praying for our young priests especially those who have only been pastors for a short time. I know they are doing their best personally to deal with all this AND help parishioners who are having a hard time with it as well. In addition to praying for them, I also urge you to include in your own prayers, the family members of the priests whose names have come out as perpetrators of these crimes against our children and young people, and people in congregations where these priests have served. I know they are going through many mixed emotions as they consider how these priests who faithfully brought Jesus to them through Mass and in other ways, could have done such terrible things to these young people. Getting back to our priests (expecially our young ones), please pray that they are not led by all this to consciously stay away from our children and young people out of fear of what some will think. Our children and young people can benefit greatly from encounters with priests and while priests must be prudent in how they handle themselves around children, it would indeed be a victory for the devil, if priests avoid children and young people, the very ones who are the future of our church AND some, our future priests.
Please take seriously the need for all of us to pray on an ongoing basis for the Church and its priests and people. It is our best weapon against the wickedness and snares of the devil and it can bring us to a peace in mind and heart that we need now AND always!