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...

I have been keeping you close to my heart this past week in prayer and thought. I am still amazed at the searching desire you have for truth—especially truth as lived and experienced within authentic relationships. Truth, where it should be nourished, at home, in charity…in love…I can’t fathom the full extent of the pain you feel in reconciling, or at least desiring to reconcile with someone so close to you—psychologically, biologically, emotionally, symbolically—who may have no concept of the distance, be it physical or psychological, that has set in over time because of the weight of sin…sin being any form of denial of love, of intimacy…any action that favors chaos over peace; lifestyle choices that promote discord instead of deep, intimate bonding. It is a life of accusation as opposed to a life of joyful tension, where each is accorded their own share of downfall and misery, all at once welcomed by understanding, and most importantly: mercy… When we last talked you mentioned b...