We are living in, what I believe, is the worst scandal in the history of the Catholic Church. We must understand the Feast of the Assumption in terms of that reality.
We have the Grand Jury report, released just yesterday, bringing to light even greater depths of the horrid abuse that most of us first learned about in 2001. This, juxtaposed with the revelation that the cardinal bishop responsible for addressing the crisis remained one of the worst offenders, with the apparent knowledge of much of the hierarchy.
Here’s a way to pray today. On this, the day when we honor Mary’s Assumption, we remember her as the one who crushes Satan under her feet (Gen 3:15). Forty days from now is Michaelmas (Sept 29th)–the day we honor St. Michael as the captain of spiritual warfare (Jude 1:9). St. Francis called this period his “Little Lent,” in which he made reparation for a fallen world. Let’s take St. Francis’ lead, who responded to Jesus’ call that he “rebuild my Church.”
When a potter finds the creation on his wheel too flawed, he breaks it down and starts over. He doesn’t replace the clay, but he rebuilds from there (see Jeremiah 18). Pray for us, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Let’s pray at Mass tonight rejoicing, in some measure, that Mary could say “all generations will call me blessed,” even as we grieve for the corruption that our generations have seen.
In Christ,
Fr. Scharbach