Many years ago, the Church was admired for being rock solid on issues. People may not have agreed with the Church’s stance on some issues, but they admired her for her strength of character. Today, Pelosi is mocking the Church and people are saying if she is allowed to say the opposite of what the Church teaches, then perhaps the Church doesn’t really believe what it preaches. She needs to be made an example of. Out with her. Off with her head. Begone.
I believe that the last person that the Church burned at the stake was Joan of Arc and there are serious questions as to how much the Church actually participated in that trial. That being said, this is not about making an example out of anyone. This is about saving a person’s soul and those of many other people.
We do not save souls by reacting to people. We save souls by converting people. The Church has not stopped being solid in her teaching and she has not used force to do so for hundreds of years. I doubt that she is about to begin now. This is not consistent with the mind of Pope Benedict. His mind works a little differently. He is about enlightening through the use of faith and reason working together, even though it may take a lifetime of work.
In my experience working with the Gospel of Life, I have found that it can take years to help people receive and use the grace of God. Not because God does not give the grace freely, but because we as human beings are not easily open to receive what is freely given. We take a little persuasion. OK, sometimes we require a lot of persuasion.
In this work I have seen greater sins than those of Nancey Pelosi. I have seen people who have had abortions, people who have performed abortions, those who have been involved in the adult entertainment industry, those who have been involved in violence, stealing, infidelity and multiple combinations of errors… When I look at them I can only see Christ as he is described in the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. He is tired, hungry, beaten, humiliated, exposed, vulnerable, bloody, and burdened with sin.
I have yet to make a convert out of any of these people by threatening to make examples out of them. We have fed their children, paid their rent, counseled them, spent time listening to their stories, even been insulted a few times. But as long as I can keep my calm, smile, listen, affirm the truth that comes out of their mouths, and admit to them that I am capable of greater sin than they are, if I can do this . . . then I have an inside path to their heart. Slowly, little by little, the walls come crumbling down and God’s grace begins to work on them. My job is to keep chipping away with great love, a lot of patience, a lot of prayer, and a lifetime of waiting. As we go along, little by little they hear me out. Somehow, in some mysterious way, they hear Christ. I have seen conversions and I believe that even Ms. Pelosi can be helped. But I have never seen conversions by making examples out of people. If we are to be true brothers and sisters of life, we must be willing to invest a lifetime of patience, charity and prayer in the other person.
Every conversion that I have seen has been the work of God’s grace, our prayers, patience and consistent presence in the person’s life. Sometimes I pick up where someone else has left off. Other times someone else picks up where I leave off. But the conversion comes when there is truth and charity, coupled with patience and prayer.
People don’t need to hear “Look at what a horrible person Ms. Pelosi is and the Church has not burnt her at the stake or has not excommunicated her.” This does nothing to help the faith of others. The correct message is, “Ms. Pelosi has believed the great lie about a woman’s right to choose and despite her mistake, look at the mercy of the Church and the patience of the Church. The Church continues to try and has not given up on her. This is the greatness of the Church, that she does not give up, but she continues to chip away at the stone.”
We really need to see the Church’s mercy and the Church’s patience. The Church is so great and wonderful, that she does not do violence to her children, but she sets the example of the mother who tries and tries over and over again. If we want to understand the Church’s behavior toward Ms. Pelosi and others of like mind, we should look at St. Monica. Monica was a wonderful example of the motherhood of the Church. Monica did not die until Augustine was spiritually safe. The Church does not give up until her children are spiritually safe.
Monica had other children. We can all speak about the scandal of it all. But we also know that the scandal of it all did not deter Monica and she did not give in to the temptation to disown Augustine, for the sake of her other children. Instead, Monica did what Jesus said about the Good Shepherd leaving his flock to go after the one lost sheep. Monica followed Augustine from Africa to Italy. We are not told what she did with her other children while she was tyring to save Augustine’s soul. But we know that she allowed herself to be used by God. She prayed and she had patience. God did the rest. I can’t think of a better example of the Church in this situation than Monica.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
:yup: BOY, YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!