Monday of Holy Week - April 15, 2019

-

Isaiah 42:1-7    Psalm 27   John 12:1-11

As a cradle Catholic born and raised in Brookside (St Elizabeth Class of '85), I am appreciative that the Faith Formation Team reached out to me for this year’s Lenten reflection booklet.  Like so many of us, my life at times is on overload.  The opportunity to reflect as the Lenten season approaches is an important and helpful thing for me to do as part of my faith journey. 

The part of my readings that stands out to me is found in the responsorial psalm: “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”  It continues, "When evildoers come at me...though an army encamp against me...though war be waged upon me, even then I will trust." This kind of faith has been particularly important (and necessary) for me as a Catholic.

As a St. Elizabeth parishioner for the first 30+ years of my life, although a very positive experience for me personally, being a parishioner there brought many challenges.  For St. Elizabeth was a hotbed for priest abuse before, during and after my time as a student.  What I have always found hard to accept is that many of the kids knew and often talked about the abuse, but the Great Wall of Catholicism was in full effect which meant teachers and parents were not about to let kids talk about a priest in any way that was not reverent. I pray the church leadership led by Pope Francis will finally make meaningful changes.

I struggled as a Catholic for many years when as a young adult I learned more about this issue of abuse, how close it hit to home and trying to decide how to react. However, I love being a Brookside Catholic "lifer" and cannot imagine leaving the church.  Even with the spotlight back on this issue, I am still proud and grateful to be Catholic. The main reason is because of you...fellow parishioners.  

Synergy: It means each part feeds off all the others, thus making a whole that is greater than the sum of the individual parts.  This is how I look at our church, the church I find in this parish community.  I am proud of what we do, day in and day out, as parishioners. I am proud of the way we educate our young as well as how we care for the poor.  I fully believe that the whole Catholic experience has been an amazing benefit to my life.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation" and the Catholic church in general, and my fellow parishioners, have been a wonderful conduit for me as they have made the Lord’s light and salvation real in my life.

Q:  How has the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal affected your own faith life?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Passion of the Lord (Good Friday) - April 7, 2023

-
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 John 18:1—19:42  Every morning when I go to Mass and the Priest asks for our intentions for the day, my response is for “wisdom, courage, comfort and trust.” Wisdom to fi gure out the answer, the courage to carry it out, and the comfort that it is the best solution and the trust to know God is guiding us in the best way. When I read the Psalms for today, I was taken back by David’s trust in the Lord to guide him and keep him safe. “In you, Lord, I take refuge”  A good friend coined this prayer when I was helping my parents navigate through my brother’s cancer. He passed away, but I continue to take comfort in those words and try daily to TRUST. Many people have commented on how they appreciate that petition so I continue to pray it.  There are big things and little things that come into our lives that require us to trust as David did. Some things are as small as smiling at the person at the traffic light or as big as standing up for another’s r
Read more

Monday of the First Week of Lent - March 11, 2019

-
Leviticus19:1-2, 11-18  Matthew 25:31-46 As I read my assignment for today, I felt relief. I knew these readings; I could relate to them. I had heard them multiple times and thought that I understood them well. The first reading from Leviticus tells me to love my neighbor as myself and to judge my neighbor justly. I know this! I believe this in my head! I often find it difficult to carry out, but I do believe it. Today’s gospel, Matthew 25, many of us know well through readings, songs, and social concerns committees, "Whatever you do for one of the least of …mine, you do to me." Feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; welcome the stranger; clothe the naked; comfort the sick; visit the prisoner. We try to do these things in our life. I decided to read our parish book, Stranger God by Richard Beck, to see how it could expand my understanding of Matthew 25 – and expand it did! After I read the book, I realized that I had been reading Matthew 25 literally.
Read more

Monday of Holy Week - April 3, 2023

-
Isaiah 42:1-7 John 12:1-11  One of my New Year’s resolutions is to be more mindful about how I spend my time. When we started having kids, everyone was always telling us, “enjoy it while it lasts because they grow up so fast!” I’d look at my tiny baby and think, yeah okay, we’ve got a long way to go. Fast forward 6 years, we have a kindergartener, and I am constantly asking myself, “where did the time go!?!?”  This Gospel is a reminder to me that I need to take advantage of every moment just as Mary decided to take advantage of that special moment with Jesus when she anointed his feet. It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of everyday life and fi nd ourselves just going through the motions without putting much thought into the importance of our actions. When I am at church, am I really present? I often fi nd that my focus is on how my children are behaving and if they are disturbing the people around us. When I am at home, am I making the most of my time with my family? Sadly,
Read more