Luke 6:456, The KJV.

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Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.”  Matthew 21:31.

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For the month of March 2023, the pope dedicated his prayer intentions for the victims of abuse. That horrible, utterly sinful and indelible stain on the church’s history, the suffering of the victims, the incredible damage to the church’s reputation and the destruction of trust in priests has wrought immense damage to Christ’s followers. The quote above, uttered by Jesus in today’s gospel, can very easily transposed from that gathering of chief priests and elders to any gathering of priests and bishops today. When that initial storm broke out several years ago, I was actually ashamed to stand before a congregation at Sunday Mass and attempt to lead them in prayer. The office to which I had been called from before age 12 now seemed to be covered in filth and devoid of God’s grace. It was, and remains for me, the worst experience of my priestly career; although innocent of any of those terrible crimes, I felt tarnished by that same brush that had painted so many priests guilty of unspeakable sin. Today, I can very easily look upon Jesus’ words, reproduced above, and accept them wholeheartedly. Yes indeed, I agree that the worst in society have a better chance of getting into the kingdom of God than some of my fellow priests, usually held high in society, yet who are guilty of such crimes.

This gospel could easily be summed up in that famous maxim, do as I say, not as I do. I’m sure those priests, guilty of those crimes, stood before their congregations and spoke great words which inspired the faithful to resolve to lead clean, grace-filled lives of dedication to God, filled with hope and trust. Today only heaven knows what has now been haunting the average Christian’s mind on becoming aware of this situation. I cannot blame them for thinking that the church is nothing but a pit of duplicitous, sanctimonious doublethink, to use Orwell’s apt coinage. But there are still good people who remain, completely aware that there are rotten apples here, as anywhere else, and that they must just be found and dealt with appropriately and then treat the remainder, we few, we happy few (to quote from Henry V), with appropriate respect. Today’s first reading seems to deal with such a crisis: “…if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life.” Then there is the second reading where St. Paul seems to offer hope for a clean beginning: “…complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.” That I find  stabilizing and encouraging, two traits sorely needed today. 

In today’s gospel Jesus mentions John the Baptist whose vocation was to herald the coming of the Messiah. His proclamation attracted, it seems, thousands to the banks of the Jordan to hear what he had to say. Many were strongly moved by what they heard, and wanted to prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord and so, reformed their lives. This included the dregs of society, in those days prostitutes and tax collectors (remember to be a tax collector meant you had betrayed your Jewish heritage to work for unclean, pagan, false god-worshipping Romans). But the priestly caste was unmoved by John, and stood by when he was unjustly arrested and killed. Jesus contrasts their reaction to that of society’s lowest-born and what they did to reform themselves. In the parable, therefore, it seemed that the lowest-born had initially said “no” but then changed their minds and then their lives. The highest-born stood for those who had said “yes” to God, but then faced with the challenge to change their lives, they did nothing. So, to use yet another saying, the actions (of the low born) spoke louder than their words. And so we, too, should respond with action, showing that, for all its faults, which are many, this old church is trying , slowly and creakily, to reform itself and be what God wants it to be, a beacon of hope amid a storm of evil. We should never give up hope, that sacred virtue which restores us to life and faces the future with confidence.

The Two-Faced God Janus.

Though not quite the symbol I meant for this week’s webpage, it does seem to fit the idea of “doublethink” as described above.

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