Could the scandals make us stronger?

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These are dark days in the Church. Like a lot of you, I wonder what’s going to happen. There will be a lot of damage to the institutional Church, that’s for sure, and maybe that has to happen.

But the Church is not primarily the institution of the Church. It is not primarily the clergy, the hierarchy. The primary definition of the Church is that it is us, its people. That definition of the Church has faced a lot of hardship throughout history, persecutions, etc. And there have been even worse scandals within the hierarchy than there are today, just not so much in modern times.

Could anything positive come out of this for us? Could this adversity lead to a stronger, better Church? In what ways?

I hope we can at least keep this discussion positive.
 
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It will absolutely make the Church stronger. It is a cry for us to renew our call to holiness.
 
It is a call for us to challenge our leadership and hold them accountable. The “Princes of the Church” need to be recognized as the servants they are supposed to be.
 
Sometimes they destroy us, body and soul. I look to Christ: my strength and comfort, my firm foundation, the Rock on which I stand. He alone is eternal. The church has come, and sadly, gone.
 
It’s a call for all of us - not just the clergy - to live the life we were called to that we said we would live out loud.
 
The church, the clergy and the Pope being under attack is nothing new and to be expected. It is what our Lady has been telling us. More importantly for us as believers is to pray for them, especially for the Pope, that the Holy Spirit will always be upon him and that the Church of God will prevail against the Gate of Hell.
 
I think it will make us stronger, in the long term. In the short term, the Church will probably shrink, but that’s okay.
 
I think there’s a good possibility that it will result in a purification of the Church of wicked priests and heresies.

For myself personally, it’s kindled in me a desire to learn more about, and to practice, fasting as a form of penance and spiritual growth (in conjunction with prayer and almsgiving). I feel called to fasting lately, and since I know it’s more than “just don’t eat” but not really clear on what, I bought a couple of books to learn more so I can begin practicing it. My intent, currently, would be for healing in the Church and healing for the victims of clerical sexual abuse.
 
I always remember the words of Scripture compliments of Romans 5:

NAB
… so that transgression might increase but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.
 
Yes, if scandals lead to cleaning the house. I know a lot of people have been depressed these past few days, but, I’ve actually been excited. I’m sick of slow decline and the false peace of tolerating the intolerable. Sh*t is actually going to start happening and it will be an exciting time to be a Catholic. Or, that is at least how I feel.
 
Yes, it is time to clean house, renew, recommit, realign, speak up, stop political correctness & increase ecumenism with our brothers & sisters in Christ. Simplify & lose some of the rigidity of those things that are not so impotant. <3
 
The Church is built on solid ground and with Jesus as it’s cornerstone it can never fall.
 
The Church has survived many horrible things, but we must always remember that it does not survive on its own or because of anything we do. The Church accomplishes all things through God and with the help of God. That is the only way it continues, is because God is helping and protecting it.

It’s the same way as how I cannot accomplish anything on my own without the help of God. But through Him, I can accomplish many things, including things I didn’t think I was capable of.
 
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In the end, I think it could. God allows some things to happen for a greater good. It could be a purifying trial.

Really crazy times though. 😣
 
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