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The Psalm this Sunday (Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5) resounds a little more than usual in light of the recent report on sexual abuse in the Church.
The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
It’s a challenging verse, not because I don’t want justice done, but I struggle to know how I can help bring about justice, specifically in this situation. As a Catholic, I am called – expected even – to advocate for the weak, for those without a voice, and demand justice for the evils committed.
I can write about it, sure, but am I just taking the easy way out? Is pointing fingers at not only those who committed such horrific violence against children but those who chose to cover it up the easy way out?
I surely am justified in doing so, but that doesn’t mean justice has been done. How am I, a layperson, called to help bring justice about?
Talking about it, shedding light on it instead of trying to keep it in darkness, maybe that is a part of it. Maybe I as a Catholic need to, to go against those Catholics who kept it in the dark.
I appreciate the priests at my parish for talking about it and asking for prayers. It can’t be easy, especially for priests to do so, because they do so knowing people will judge, question, and maybe even hate them because they are also priests.
If you haven’t read some of the detailed descriptions on what was done, or the report itself even, I encourage you to do so. Not to fill you with rage or anger, but to know. To be aware. It’s so easy to hear about it, to do a half-hearted prayer about it, and move on. I can brush it off or just not give it more attention, but that’s not justice.
And justice needs to happen.
Not just for the crimes that have been revealed, but also for the crimes yet to be revealed. I pray that all those who have been abused – not just by priests, but by anyone – have the courage, strength, and support to report what’s happened to them to the proper authorities. They need to know and feel that they will be heard, and that they will be protected.
I still don’t know what more I will do about this. But I know this is far from over.
