Thread by @frajds

I decided to be bold and preach on the Cardinal McCarrick situation this evening. I'm glad I did. After Mass, a parishioner told me, "It was hard to hear, but so much better than feeling like it was just another thing that got swept under the rug." #homilytweet #thread

"A month ago, an accusation of sex abuse was made against Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, the retired archbishop of Washington, D.C. I remember seeing this story in the news and thinking, 'Great. Here we go again.'"

"I was in seventh grade in 2002, when the Boston abuse crisis brought these cases to the national attention. I grew up under the shadow of this crisis, but it never really struck home. All the priests I knew seemed like good and holy men, and for all I know, they really are."

"But not everyone has had the luxury of remaining distant from these stories. Many people know priests who did, in fact, commit an immense betrayal of trust. And other people have been victims. My heart breaks to think what that betrayal must have done to their faith."

"In recent days, more people have come forward against Cardinal McCarrick. At this stage, it seems that the accusations are well-founded. If so, you can only imagine what it means for a cardinal to be implicated in a crime like this. We haven't seen anything like this before."

"I don’t want to make any personal judgment here, and I have no desire to dwell on the details of the case. But I think it’s my duty as a priest to be honest with you and try to make some sense of all of this in the light of our faith. We’ve suffered too much by ignoring it."

"It's well-established that priests are not more likely than the general population to abuse children or minors. It’s not a problem with the priesthood itself. But these crimes are a far greater betrayal for a priest than anyone else, because of the sacred nature of his calling."

"Really, at the core of the scandal is a single factor: the abuse of authority. The Church holds itself to a higher standard than the world does, and rightly so. We are meant to be the salt of the earth, the light of the world."

"And yet, as Saint Augustine observed, the Church on earth is made up of both sinners and saints. It's often hard to tell the difference between the two. The true nature of the Church is hidden among the sins of its members. The image he used was that of a lily among thorns."

"I’m happy to say that I have seen so much more of the lilies than I have of the thorns. I guess if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have wanted to be a priest. I've met so many good and holy people. They give me hope, and they remind me what it means to be a true follower of Jesus."

"The power of the Church is not its resources, or influence, or worldly authority. It’s in the simple piety of the daily Mass-goer, our care for the poor, our diversity and universality. But most of all it's in the sacraments. The power of the Church is Jesus Christ himself."

"And so my faith in the Church remains unshaken. Because the Church is not the diocesan chancery, or the bishops' conference, or even the Vatican. You and I are the Church, the Body of Christ. And I have faith in us."

"When we’re confronted by abuses of power in the Church it's right to feel a righteous anger. It’s an anger that calls out for action, demanding justice for those who have been harmed and calling for systemic changes to make sure that these crimes do not occur again."

"Thanks be to God, much of that work has already been done. Much more remains to be done."

"That righteous anger courses through our first reading from Jeremiah today. As I reflected on those words I felt that I had to speak out on this difficult subject. The connection was too powerful, and too timely."

"This reading from Jeremiah is more than a mere complaint. It teaches us to channel our disappointment and direct it away from despair — away from hopelessness and delusion, and into a renewed commitment to doing the will of God."

"We have a duty to name the sin, clearly and directly. No denying it or covering it up. 'Woe to the shepherds!' Jeremiah says, speaking in the voice of the Lord: 'You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them.'"

"What follows is then a duty to take real and concrete action. 'I will take care to punish your evil deeds,' says the Lord. We must be unafraid to confront evil. Sins can be forgiven, but justice must be done."

"In times like this we must fix our eyes on the Lord. Look at our Gospel. Jesus is tired from his ministry and seeks a moment of rest and peace. But when he sees the crowds who have come to seek his healing and teaching, he is moved with pity. He is the Good Shepherd."

"Only this Shepherd can heal and pasture the lost and scattered sheep. Knowing how far we had fallen, God himself intervenes in human history. He looks at his poor and scattered flock and he says, 'I myself will shepherd them.'"

"The Church is not shepherded, ultimately, by priests, or bishops, cardinals, or even popes. As ordained ministers of Jesus Christ, we stand here as administrators, prophets, messengers. We do not act on our own authority. The true Shepherd of the Church is Jesus Christ."

"He will be with us always. God continues to guide his people. He does so especially as we prepare to receive the Holy Eucharist, the Sacrament of his love. Here and now, God feeds his flock with a food that will never disappoint us or fail to nourish us."