More Than an Idea

Only Tears Last Tuesday, a grand jury report listed 301 Catholic priests from the Diocese of Pittsburgh as responsible for sexual abuse of over 1000 young people. The investigation covered priests both living and deceased, reaching back at least 70 years into the history of the diocese. The headlines seem unending. The perversity and abuse are diffuse and pervasive. The cover-ups are chilling, the silence sinful, and the despair devastating. Last Tuesday, I received a text message from a friend that captures the raw emotion and disgust we shared at the release of this news: “I’m reading the articles and am reeling in pain. I have no words. Only tears.” A week before this same friend sent me this link about a group of religious sisters who were bringing to light even more sexual abuse from Church officials. Battered on all sides it seems, it is safe to ask: why remain? Why would I profess faith in the Catholic Church? Why would I still believe in “o

I’ve been sitting on my computer, inside of a teashop in Chicago, thinking and thinking about something to write… It’s been at least 40 minutes, and I’ve still come up with nothing…I want to talk about Saint Clare of Assisi, her spirit and spirituality, whose feast we just celebrated yesterday, on August 11 th . In light of Clare, whose name in Italian ( Chiara ) means, “light, clear”… I feel as if I’m in the “writer’s tomb:” darkness and cobwebs on every side, fretting for a loose stone in the wall in order to dig my way out, into some light, sun light, anything. But perhaps this is a good thing… This week, in preparation for the feast of Saint Clare, I’ve been reflecting on prayer. A novena written by a community of Poor Clare’s in New Jersey, referred to their foundress as a “strong woman of great prayer.” Clare dedicated her life to contemplation, to prayer: wedding the entirety of her self to Christ for the greater glory of God and the illumination of h