Bad News

26 February 2013

In the news as of late there has been lots of discouraging news.  The resignation of Cardinal Keith O'Brien in Scotland and all the controversy surrounding that, reports about a ring of division and dissension within the curia, rumors of squabbling among Church prelates, attempts to insinuate that Pope Benedict XVI is "retiring" as a way of avoiding trouble or conversely, that he is being forced out.  Some of this is information is skewed, some misleading, and to a large degree most of us don't know what this information means in its proper context.  

There are likely vestiges of truth connected to all this information.  I don't know, but usually people don't just make stuff up out of thin air.  At the same time it is presented through someone's individual lens (like politics) and understood through another persons lens (namely each one of our personal experience and opinion of the Church). Some things get lost in translation and other things are magnified by adding our own baggage, our own spin to what we hear.  

We need a good interpreter if we really want to understand correctly.  I'm not sure we'll find one, but I am sure there will be plenty of more speculation.  The result is we are left with disappointing news of varying degrees of truthfulness and it makes us sad, confused, or worse, suspicious.  It threatens to take the focus off of the truth we really need to focus on.

Now is a good time to go back to Pope Benedict's last homily at Mass, Ash Wednesday.  I really encourage you to read the whole thing, spend some time praying with it, reflect on it from your perspective.  Here is one line to focus on, referring to the first reading at Mass from the prophet Joel:

"Again, the prophet has God proclaim these words: "Rend your hearts and not your clothing" (v. 13). In our own day, lots of people are ready to "rend their clothing" in the face of scandals and acts of injustice – the fault naturally of others – but few seem prepared to do something about their own "hearts", their own consciences and their own intentions, allowing the Lord to transform, renew and convert them."

We are in the middle of Lent in the year of Faith.  We are "at the same time holy and always in need of being purified, always follow[ing] the way of penance and renewal" (Lumen Gentium 12).  Are we willing to rend our hearts and not just our garments? 

Its a question worth asking ourselves today, I know I am.