Why Don't All Catholics Speak in Tongues If They Have Received the Holy Spirit? (St Gregory of Agrigentum)

In this exposition of Ecclesiastes, St Gregory of Agrigentum explains why not every Christian has the ability to speak in tongues, even though all have received the gift and power of the Holy Spirit. Here is the short answer: each Catholic does "speak in tongues," because each belongs to the body of Christ, that is, the Church, and she speaks all languages.

Here's St Gregory of Agrigentum on the matter:

The disciples spoke in the language of every nation. At Pentecost God chose this means to indicate the presence of the Holy Spirit: whoever had received the Spirit spoke in every kind of tongue. We must realise, dear brothers, that this is the same Holy Spirit by whom love is poured out in our hearts. It was love that was to bring the Church of God together all over the world. And as individual men who received the Holy Spirit, speaks in the language of every people.

Therefore if somebody should say to one of us, “You have received the Holy Spirit, why do you not speak in tongues?” his reply should be, “I do indeed speak in the tongues of all men, because I belong to the body of Christ, that is, the Church, and she speaks all languages. What else did the presence of the Holy Spirit indicate at Pentecost, except that God’s Church was to speak in the language of every people?”
This way is the way in which the Lord’s promise was fulfilled: No one puts new wine into old wineskins. New wine is put into fresh skins, and so both are preserved. So when the disciples were heard speaking in all kinds of languages, some people were not far wrong in saying: They have been drinking too much new wine. The truth is that the disciples had now become fresh wineskins, renewed and made holy by grace. The new wine of the Holy Spirit filled them, so that their fervour brimmed over and they spoke in manifold tongues. By this spectacular miracle they became a sign of the Catholic Church, which embraces the language of every nation.

Keep this feast, then, as members of the one body of Christ. It will be no empty festival for you if you really become what you are celebrating. For you are the members of that Church which the Lord acknowledges as his own, being himself acknowledged by her, that same Church which he fills with the Holy Spirit as she spreads throughout the world. He is like a bridegroom who never loses sight of his own bride; no one could ever deceive him by substituting some other woman.

To you men of all nations, then who make up the Church of Christ, you the members of Christ, you, the body of Christ, you, the bride of Christ – to all of you the Apostle addresses these words: Bear with one another in love; do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Notice that when Paul urges us to bear with one another, he bases his argument on love, and when he speaks of our hope of unity, he emphasises the bond of peace. This Church is the house of God. It is his delight to dwell here. Take care, then, that he never has the sorrow of seeing it undermined by schism and collapsing in ruins.

How Job Prefigured Christ Our Lord in His Humility

This morning there was a wonderful reading from Saint Zeno of Verona on how the Old Testament Job prefigured Christ in His Passion. It is absolutely beautiful. I hope that you are edified by it, as I was:

My beloved brethren, the story of Job prefigures that of Christ. Thus we understand it, and we can see the truth of this by detailed comparison.

Job was called a righteous man by God; and God is righteousness itself, the fountain of righteousness from which the blessed drink. Of him it was said: The sun of righteousness shall rise for you.
Job was called truthful; and the Lord is truly Truth itself, for as he says in the Gospel: I am the way and the truth.
Job was rich; and what could be richer than the Lord? For all the rich are his slaves, his is the whole world and all that exists, as David said in the Psalms: The Lord’s is the earth and its fulness, the world and all who live in it.
The devil tempted Job three times; and three times, according to the Gospel, he tried to tempt the Lord.
Everything that Job had, he lost; and for love of us the Lord forgot all his heavenly blessings and made himself poor, that we might be rich.
The devil, raging, destroyed Job’s sons; and the Lord’s sons, the prophets, were killed by the people of the Pharisees in their madness.
Job was disfigured with boils; and the Lord, taking on human flesh, was fouled with the sins of all mankind.
Job’s own wife urged him to sin; and the synagogue, the bride of God, tried to compel the Lord to follow the corrupt behaviour of the elders.
Job’s friends, it is said, insulted him; and the Lord was insulted by his own priests, his own worshippers.
Job sits on a dunghill full of worms; and the Lord lived in a real dunghill, that is, this world, surrounded by men seething with every vice and every crime: true worms.
Job received back his health and his riches; and the Lord, rising, did not only regain health but granted immortality to those who believed in him and took back dominion over the whole of nature. For as he himself bears witness: All things have been given to me by my Father.
Job begot new sons to replace the ones who had died; the Lord, to replace the prophets, begot his holy sons, the Apostles.
Job went to his rest in blessedness and peace; but the Lord remains blessed in all eternity: before time, and from the beginning of time, and to the end of all ages.

This is great, isn't it? May God bless you today.

ad Jesum per Mariam,
Taylor

PS: As you meditate on the humility of Christ, I recommend praying this "Litany of Humility" - something difficult for me to utter at times. It goes like this:

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed...

Deliver me, Jesus (and for each below).

From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I...

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it (for each below).

That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

Best Photo of John Henry Newman!

I just love this photo of John Henry Newman. I don't know of any picture better than this one.

ad Jesum per Mariam,
Taylor

I've been camping

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been camping with family and friends. Look for posts later today.

Godspeed,
Taylor

Jewish Pentecost, Catholic Pentecost

Feast of Pentecost

The feast of Shavuot (“Weeks”) occurred forty-nine days (seven weeks) after the Feast of Passover. Since it was the fiftieth day after Passover, it acquired the Greek name of Pentecost, meaning “fiftieth.” Pentecost marked the end of the grain harvest and designated a time of prosperity and joy. Moses stipulated that an offering of two loaves of bread be offered to God on this day as a sign of gratitude (Lev 23:15-21).

Just as Passover symbolized the liberty of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, the Feast of Pentecost symbolized the presentation of the Law to Israel through the prophet Moses. This is paralleled in the Catholic Church by the Christian feast of Pentecost, which is exactly fifty days after Easter. This holy day recalls how Christ poured out the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and the Church (Acts 2). Just as the Law was given to Israel on the feast of Pentecost, so the Spirit was given to the Church on the feast of Pentecost. For Catholics, the Jewish harvest theme is an allegory of the harvest of souls gathered in by the twelve Apostles of Christ.

Excerpted from the book The Crucified Rabbi: Judaism and the Origins of Catholic Christianity:

Please visit Crucified Rabbi at Amazon.com

The Nails That Formed Within the Stigmata of Saint Francis

I mentioned this once before on Canterbury Tales. Many do not know that the stigmata of Saint Francis contained something like nails in his hands and his feet. These nails could move within the wounds. Here's the account from the Fioretti:

On the death of St Francis his glorious, the sacred stigmata were seen and kissed, not only by the said Lady Jacopa and her company, but by many citizens of Assisi; among others by a knight of great renown, named Jerome, who had doubted much, and disbelieved them; as St Thomas disbelieved the wounds of Christ.

And to assure himself and others, he boldly, in the presence both of the brethren and of seculars, moved the nails in the hands and feet, and strongly pressed the wound in the side. By which means he was enabled to bear constant witness to the truth of the miracle, swearing on the Gospels that he had seen and touched the glorious, holy stigmata of St Francis, the which were seen and touched also by St Clare and her religious, who were present at his burial.

Here is another description of the wounds and their fleshly nails:

For upon his hands and feet began immediately to appear the figures of the nails, as he had seen them on the Body of Christ crucified, who had appeared to him in the likeness of a seraph. And thus the hands and feet appeared pierced through the midst by the nails, the heads whereof were seen outside the flesh in the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, and the points of the nails stood out at the back of the hands, and the feet in such wise that they appeared to be twisted and bent back upon themselves, and the portion thereof that was bent back upon themselves, and the portion thereof that was bent back or twisted stood out free from the flesh, so that one could put a finger through the same as through a ring; and the heads of the nails were round and black. In like manner, on the right side appeared the image of an unhealed wound, as if made by a lance, and still red and bleeding, from which drops of blood often flowed from the holy breast of St Francis, staining his tunic and his drawers.

Clearly, this stigmata of the Seraphic Father was different from that of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. Father Solanus Benfatti of the Friars of the Renewal has recently composed a thesis in Rome on the stigmata of Christ. I hope to be able to read it soon.

Saint Bernardine on Mary's Role in the Economy of Grace

Today is the feast day of St. Bernardine of Siena (d. 1444). He was a Franciscan ascetic, priest, and preacher. For more than three decades, St Bernardine proclaimed Christ throughout Italy, and initiated the religious revival of the early fifteenth century. Large crowds came to hear him speak. It was said that factions were reconciled by his counsel and that miracles commonly occurred through his prayers. Bonfires were held at his sermon sites, where people were encouraged to burn objects of temptation (e.g. books of spells, immodest clothes, books of heresy, etc.). In 1425, he preached every day for seven weeks in Siena.

He is especially remembered for his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, the Holy Eucharist, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Regarding the Immaculate Mary, Saint Bernardine teaches us: "Every grace granted to man has three degrees in order; for by God it is communicated to Christ, from Christ it passes to the Virgin, and from the Virgin it descends to us."

Saint Bernardine, pray for us!

I'll be on Sirius XM Radio Tomorrow: The Catholic Channel

If you have Sirius XM Satellite Radio, I'll be on the Catholic Channel tomorrow at 7am Eastern or 6am Central discussing my background in Calvinism (something I haven't often discussed - I graduated from Westminster Seminary) and Catholicism. It will be the "Seize the Day Show" with Gus LLoyd. I am really looking forward to it.

http://www.thecatholicchannel.org

I hope to talk some about my new book The Catholic Perspective on Paul - due out later this year. I also hope to talk about all the great things going on over Called to Communion.

Dante damned him to the Inferno...but the Pope canonized him (Saint Celestine V)

On the traditional calendar, today is the feast of Saint Celestine V, a holy hermit who is remembered as the Pope who abdicated Saint Peter's throne in AD 1294. The reason? He felt unworthy.

Today, Father Gary Selin told me that Dante placed Celestine hell:

A persistent tradition identifies Celestine V as the nameless figure Dante sees among those in the antechamber of Hell, in the enigmatical verses: "I saw and recognized the shade of him Who by his cowardice made the great refusal" (Inferno, III, 59–60)

Here, the "great refusal" would be Celestine's abidication. Despite Dante's bold claim, the Church has confirmed and canonized Pope Celestine V as a holy saint of God in Heaven.

St Celestine, pray for us!

Burn the books of Luther, Calvin...and the Pelagians (St Leonard of Port Maurice)

I've recently learned about a beautiful saint: St. Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751) He was a famous Franciscan preacher. I was reading one of his sermon and came across that fantastic quote that "positions" the Catholic doctrine of salvation between Luther/Calvin's divine monergism on one hand and Pelagianism human monergism on the other hand. Here is what Saint Leonard preaches to us:

Before going on, let us gather on one side all the books and all the heresies of Luther and Calvin, and on the other side the books and heresies of the Pelagians and Semi-Pelagians, and let us burn them. Some destroy grace, others freedom, and all are filled with errors; so let us cast them into the fire. All the damned bear upon their brow the oracle of the Prophet Hosea, "Thy damnation comes from thee," so that they may understand that whoever is damned, is damned by his own malice and because he wants to be damned.

I don't think that St. Leonard is calling for a book burning, yet the mental image is quite appropriate: the Catholic rejects those who deny grace and those who deny human free will.

By the way, I've recorded some things about the Catholic position on justification here.

Phoenix nun rebuked after allowing abortion

Phoenix nun rebuked after allowing abortion.

PHOENIX -- A nun and administrator at a Catholic hospital in Phoenix has been reassigned and rebuked by the local bishop for agreeing that a severely ill woman needed an abortion to survive.

Sister Margaret McBride was on an ethics committee that included doctors that consulted with a young woman who was 11 weeks pregnant late last year, The Arizona Republic newspaper reported on its website Saturday. The woman was suffering from a life-threatening condition that likely would have caused her death if she hadn't had the abortion at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.

Hospital officials defended McBride's actions but confirmed that she has been reassigned from her job as vice president of mission integration at the hospital. They said in a statement that saving the mother required that the fetus be aborted.

Full story from ABC and AP.

Why is Water like the Holy Spirit? (St Cyril of Jerusalem)

St Cyril of Jerusalem explains that water is always the same - yet it produces different effects in various forms of life. All life needs water, yet the needs vary. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is always the same, but we are different and so the Holy Spirit manifests Himself differently in each of us:

The living water of the Holy Spirit - Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

The water I shall give him will become in him a fountain of living water, welling up into eternal life. This is a new kind of water, a living, leaping water, welling up for those who are worthy. But why did Christ call the grace of the Spirit water? Because all things are dependent on water; plants and animals have their origin in water. Water comes down from heaven as rain, and although it is always the same in itself, it produces many different effects, one in the palm tree, another in the vine, and so on throughout the whole of creation. It does not come down, now as one thing, now as another, but while remaining essentially the same, it adapts itself to the needs of every creature that receives it.
In the same way the Holy Spirit, whose nature is always the same, simple and indivisible, apportions grace to each man as he wills. Like a dry tree which puts forth shoots when watered, the soul bears the fruit of holiness when repentance has made it worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit never changes, the effects of his action, by the will of God and in the name of Christ, are both many and marvellous.
The Spirit makes one man a teacher of divine truth, inspires another to prophesy, gives another the power of casting out devils, enables another to interpret holy Scripture. The Spirit strengthens one man’s self-control, shows another how to help the poor, teaches another to fast and lead a life of asceticism, makes another oblivious to the needs of the body, trains another for martyrdom. His action is different in different people, but the Spirit himself is always the same. In each person, Scripture says, the Spirit reveals his presence in a particular way for the common good.
The Spirit comes gently and makes himself known by his fragrance. He is not felt as a burden, for he is light, very light. Rays of light and knowledge stream before him as he approaches. The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console. The Spirit comes to enlighten the mind first of the one who receives him, and then, through him, the minds of others as well.
As light strikes the eyes of a man who comes out of darkness into the sunshine and enables him to see clearly things he could not discern before, so light floods the soul of the man counted worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit and enables him to see things beyond the range of human vision, things hitherto undreamed of.

Swagger Wagon Rap Video: Marshall Endorsed

Taylor Marshall rolls seven deep in his Toyota Sienna Swagger Wagon. We love our Toyota mini-van. Please watch this awesome video for details:


Dope, right?

HT: Sean Dollahon

Vowing to Reunite the Eastern Orthodox Church (Saint Leopold Mandic)

Saint Leopold Mandic
Franciscan Capuchin Priest

Check out this beautiful quote from Saint Leopold on vowing to do all things to reunite the Eastern Orthodox to Catholic unity:

“In conformity with the call which is now well known to me, I renew my vow to the Divine Heart of Jesus and to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Coredemptrix of the human race, to labor for the return of the Oriental dissidents to Catholic unity. The fulfillment of this vow will be the whole purpose of my life.”

HT: to Father Pio, CFR

Saint Charbel Movie

The more I learn about Saint Charbel, the more I love him.

Does anyone know anything about this movie about him?

See the trailer above.

Bill Gates Fudning Male Contraception

Marcel LeJeune has news about Bill Gates funding male contraception.

The Franciscans (CFR) are Coming Over for Dinner Tonight

The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal of Texas are coming over to our house for dinner tonight. I can't wait. They are such a blessing.

The attire is business casual - so the friars have to wear ties and jackets under their habits.

Just kidding.

Look for some sweet photos soon.

Blessed Luchesio - The Original Third Order Franciscan

Blessed Luchesio (Lucius)

Luchesio Modestini was a merchant in the little town of Poggibonzi in Tuscany. More than most merchants, he was so entirely and solely concerned with material success that he was generally reputed to be an avaricious man. His wife, Buonadonna, was of a similar disposition. Then the grace of God touched the husband. He realized how foolish it is to strive only for worldly goods, of which he could take nothing with him to eternity, meanwhile forgetting about his soul's salvation, as he had, unfortunately, been doing until then. He began to practice works of mercy and to perform his religious obligations with fidelity; he succeeded in winning his wife over to a similar outlook on life.

Since they had no one to care for but themselves, and Luchesio feared that in conducting his business he might relapse into covetousness, he gave up his business entirely. He and his good wife divided everything among the poor and retained for themselves only so much acreage as would suffice for their support. Luchesio tilled this with his own hands.

About this time St. Francis came to Tuscany. After his sermon on penance, hosts of people desired to leave all and enter the convent. But the saint admonished them calmly to persevere in their vocation, for he had in mind soon to give them a special rule according to which they could serve God perfectly even in the world.

At Poggibonzi Francis visited Luchesio, with whom he had become acquainted through former business transactions. Francis greatly rejoiced to find this avaricious man so altered, and Luchesio, who had already heard about the blessed activities of Francis, asked for special instructions for himself and his wife, so that they might lead a life in the world that would be pleasing to God.

Francis then explained to them his plans for the establishment of an order for lay people; and Luchesio and Buonadonna asked to be received into it at once. This, according to tradition, they became the first members of the Order of Penance, which later came to be called the Third Order, (and then Secular Franciscan Order).

If Luchesio and Buonadonna were really the first Tertiaries, they must have become such not long after St. Francis founded his First Order in 1209. The first simple rule of life, which St. Francis gave to the first Tertiaries at that time, was supplanted in 1221 by one which Cardinal Ugolino prepared in legal wording. And in the same year Pope Honorius III approved this rule verbally. For this reason the year 1221 is often given as the date of the founding of the Third Order of St. Francis.

After Luchesio had put on the gray garment of a Tertiary, he rapidly advanced toward perfect holiness. He practiced penitential austerities, often fasted on bread and water, slept on the hard floor, and at his work bore God constantly in his heart. His generosity to the poor knew no bounds, so that one day there was not even a loaf of bread for his own household. When still another poor man came, he asked his wife to look whether there was not something they could find for him. That vexed her and she scolded him severely; his mortifications, she said, had well nigh crazed him, he would keep giving so long that they themselves would have to suffer hunger. Luchesio asked her gently to please look in the pantry, for he trusted in Him who had multiplied a few loaves for the benefit of thousands. She did so, and the marvel of it! The whole pantry was filled with the best kind of bread. From that time on Buonadonna vied with her husband in doing good.

When a plague raged in Poggibonzi and the surrounding places, Luchesio went out with his laden donkey, to bring the necessaries to the sick. When he did not have enough to supply all, he begged for more from others in behalf of the distressed.

Once he carried a sick cripple, whom he had found on the way, to his home on his shoulders. A frivolous young man met him, and asked him mockingly, "what poor devil is that you are carrying there on your back?" Luchesio replied calmly. "I am carrying my Lord Jesus Christ." At once the young man's face became distorted, he cried out fearfully, and was dumb. Contritely he cast himself on his knees before Luchesio, who restored his speech to him by means of the Sign of the Cross.

The time had come when the faithful servant of God was to receive the reward for his good works. When he lay very ill, and there was no hope for his recovery, his wife said to him, "Implore God, who gave us to each other as companions in life, to permit us also to die together." Luchesio prayed as requested. and Buonadonna fell ill with a fever, from which she died even before her husband, after devoutly receiving the holy sacraments. Luchesio passed away with holy longing for God on April 28, 1260. At his grave in the Franciscan church at Poggibonzi many miracles have occurred. His continuous veneration as Blessed was approved by Pope Pius VI.

Christ Washed His Garment in "Wine" (from Saint Gaudentius)

The passage below from Saint Gaudentius explains how the ancient prophecy of Jacob (aka Israel) pertains to Christ "washing his tunic in wine":

Binding his foal to the vine
and his ass's colt to the choice vine,
he washes his garments in wine
and his tunic in the blood of grapes (Gen 49:11)

Saint Gaudentius (died in AD 410) explains how this is actually a Eucharistic prophecy! I almost fell out of my chair when I read the beautiful and startling words of the saint:

From a treatise by Saint Gaudentius of Brescia, bishop
The Eucharist is The Lord's passover

"One man has died for all, and now in every church in the mystery of bread and wine he heals those for whom he is offered in sacrifice, giving life to those who believe and holiness to those who consecrate the offering. This is the flesh of the Lamb; this is his blood. The bread that came down from heaven declared: The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.

"It is significant, too, that his blood should be given to us in the form of wine, for his own words in the gospel, I am the true vine, imply clearly enough that whenever wine is offered as a representation of Christ’s passion, it is offered as his blood. This means that it was of Christ that the blessed patriarch Jacob prophesied when he said: He will wash his tunic in wine and his cloak in the blood of the grape. The tunic was our flesh, which Christ was to put on like a garment and which he was to wash in his own blood.

"Creator and Lord of all things, whatever their nature, he brought forth bread from the earth and changed it into his own body. Not only had he the power to do this, but he had promised it; and, as he had changed water into wine, he also changed wine into his own blood. It is the Lord’s passover, Scripture tells us, that is, the Lord’s passing. We are no longer to look upon the bread and wine as earthly substances. They have become heavenly, because Christ has passed into them and changed them into his body and blood. What you receive is the body of him who is the heavenly bread, and the blood of him who is the sacred vine; for when he offered his disciples the consecrated bread and wine, he said: This is my body, this is my blood. We have put our trust in him. I urge you to have faith in him; truth can never deceive.

"When Christ told the crowds that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood, they were horrified and began to murmur among themselves: This teaching is too hard; who can be expected to listen to it? As I have already told you, thoughts such as these must be banished. The Lord himself used heavenly fire to drive them away by going on to declare: It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

So then, the tunic is human nature and Christ washes it through His most Precious Blood. We experience this cleansing through the Holy Eucharist. How beautiful and wise.

Saint Gaudentius, pray for us.

Franciscan Popes?

I've been able to find four Franciscan popes:

Nicholas IV OFM (1288-1292)
Sixtus IV OFM Conventual (1471-1484)
Sixtus V OFM Conventual (1585 - 1590)
Clement XIV OFM Conventual (1769-1774)

Are there any others that I missed?

How can we give "ALL" for both Jesus AND MARY?

Robert Sessford recently left a great comment:

"Very nice sentiments. But did Pope St. Pius X not realize he could go straight to the source? And if he's not saying that Mary and Jesus are equal, how can "ALL" be for both?"

That's a great question? "How can all be for both Jesus and Mary?

The answer lies in understanding Christianity through the lens of "participation." Mary participates in Christ since she is a member of the Body of Christ. Hence, there is not competition between Jesus and Mary since they are not two independent objects. Rather, she belongs to Him.

For example, if you as a friend sent flowers to my mother - you would in turn honor me. The love of family is participatory - not competitive.

To put it another way, as a husband you can offer ALL OF YOUR LOVE to your wife without subtracting love from Jesus. Why? Because when you love your wife, you 're showing love for Jesus.

I can be 100% dedicated to Christ by being 100% dedicated to my wife. Likewise, I can be 100% dedicated to Christ by being 100% dedicated to Mary. As a matter of fact, Christ was 100% dedicated to God the Father and 100% dedicated to His Mother Mary, as the law commands: "Honor thy father and thy mother."

The mystery of shared love is ultimately Trinitarian. The Divine Persons do not compete but share. This is the model of all human love, especially in the Church where we understand loving people to be a form of loving Christ...See Matthew 25 for details.

Sex Scandal Media Frenzy: Should Catholics Defend or Keep Silent

With all the talk of "Catholic scandal" buzzing through the media, I have often felt the urge to write a treatise on the indefectibility of the Catholic Church - the teaching that no matter how sinful Catholics or clergy act, the Catholic Church is still always the Church of Jesus Christ. Sin cannot destroy the handiwork of God, i.e. the Catholic Church.

However, such an argument will likely be received as hollow by those who already misunderstand Catholicism. Folks who already hate the Church hear our argument and say to us: "You Catholics carry a trump card that excuses you from every sin - the Church is the Church and no sin can destroy it...tell that to the eight-year-old boy who has been raped!"

My opinion is that wisdom and propriety require the silence that surrounded Job in his sorrows--the silence that surrounded Mary during the death of the Innocent. A Catholic apologist can make a fantastic defense of the sanctity of the Church, God's righteousness, and expound on Theodicy in the face of clerical scandal. However, prudence sometimes requires sober silence of humility.

Perhaps we Catholics might rally to the prayer of Daniel:

"We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from thy commandments and ordinances...O Lord, according to all thy righteous acts, let thy anger and thy wrath turn away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy hill; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people have become a byword among all who are round about us...(Dan 9:5-16)

Notice that Daniel himself had not personally sinned or rebelled against God. Daniel was righteous compared to the idolaters of Israel and Judea. Nevertheless, he intercedes for the people of God, praying "We have sinned..." He makes reparation by saying, "We have sinned..."

The clerical abuse rate may only be at 1.7%, and may in fact be lower than the Protestant clergy abuse rate...but it should be at 0%.

Teachers and ministers don't claim to act in persona Christi, to hold God in their hands, to absolve sinners, and they don't respond to the intimate title of "Father." Only Catholic priests bear these dignities. The world expects more of them and they should not be faulted for doing so.

The world is correct in holding the Catholic Church to higher standards. The truth is, we aren't a school district or a denomination - we are the one true Holy Catholic Church of Christ - and the world expects us to live up to that claim.

Instead of defense, maybe we should hang our head and whisper with the prophet Daniel: "thy people have become a byword among all who are round about us...let thy anger and thy wrath turn away from thy city."

It's just my opinion - feel free to say otherwise.