Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

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It seems as if scandals of sexual impropriety are as old as time. Whether they be gross power plays by or false accusations against prominent individuals, practically every day we hear a story in the news of sexual transgression. The story of Susanna in the book of Daniel and the story of the woman caught in adultery in the Gospel of John present two sides of the same coin. Susanna, who is innocent, is charged as being guilty; the woman in the Gospel is guilty, and is offered a return to innocence. In both situations a profound reality is conveyed: we live in a broken world with broken people.

We may be quick to demonize a person who unjustly charges an innocent person as well as a person who takes advantage of someone in a vulnerable situation, yet the person inflicting the wound is wounded as well. While we may not be concerned with a perpetrator’s personal wounds, it would be foolish to think that each one of us does not have wounds that in turn inflict wounds onto others. As a priest, I have been particularly disgusted by the horrific actions that have been inflicted by some priests upon minors and vulnerable adults. Moreover, I have found the unjust cover-up of these actions by those in positions of authority to be simply egregious. Yet, I realize that I share in the one priesthood of Jesus Christ, which in turn means that the success of one priest is a success for all and the failure of one priest is a failure for all.

When I think of the sexual abuse scandal in the priesthood, I need to think of my own failures. While my failures may not amount to crimes, they are still scandalous. How many times do I purposely avoid reaching out to a homeless person? How often do I intentionally ignore a phone call from a disgruntled parishioner? How much time do I spend on my phone texting friends than delving into the Word of God? How often do I “disguise” the fact that I am

a priest in order that I may not feel “obliged” to be of service to others? How often do I entertain lustful thoughts? Yes, priests struggle with all of these things.

Perhaps the most frustrating byproduct of the sexual abuse scandal is that priests now how to constantly give the impression to people in the pews that they are sinless. The reality is that I need the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus just as much as the worst criminal. The moment that I think that I am better than someone else is the moment that I deny my own brokenness, my own wounds. One who strives to be a disciple of Jesus is a person who realizes that he or she needs the healing presence of Jesus in his or her life. Only when I offer my wounds to the wounds of Jesus can I welcome the reality of the Resurrection. I pray that I can be as vulnerable as Susanna, who was framed, and as the woman caught in adultery, who was chastised. God knows I’m too broken and wounded to heal myself!

Fr. John Gribowich

Administrator

St. Augustine-St. Francis Xavier

Park Slope, Brooklyn