Third Sunday of Easter C.  April 18, 2010.  Our Lady of Grace 5:15, 9:30, 6PM.  Acts 5:27b-32, 40b-41. Revelation 5: 11-14.  John 21: 1-19/

The Gospel of Luke tells us that when Peter first met Jesus he said, “Depart from me Lord because I am a sinful man.”(5:8)  Again and again Peter offered evidence of his sinfulness.  When Jesus talked about the necessity of the Christ suffering and dying Peter corrected him.  Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." (Matthew 16:23)  All four Gospels remind us that Peter denied even knowing Jesus at the time of his crucifixion.  Peter was an impulsive man.  He spoke too quickly.  He was a weak man.  He was afraid of the leaders who had arrested Jesus.  At the same time Peter loved Jesus intensely.  He followed Jesus right into the courtyard of the high priest where he was being held captive.  He wanted to be close to Jesus and yet he was weak and afraid.  The Gospel of Luke tells us that after the cock had crowed three times Jesus turned and looked at Peter and Peter wept bitterly.  (Luke 22:62)

Knowing how weak and sinful Peter was Jesus still chose him to be the rock upon which the Church would be built.  In today’s Gospel Jesus points to the source of Peter’s strength.  Three times he says to Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”  “Simon, Son of John, do you love me?  Feed my lambs.  Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep.”   Then Jesus tells Peter about his death still hidden the future, a death upside down on a cross in Rome – a death like the one Peter had corrected Jesus about long before.  In the end, Peter had turned from his weakness and his sins.  He had repented.  Peter could well be named the patron saint of all those who love Jesus deeply but find it very difficult to get it all together.  Peter probably wept often over his sins. In the end his love for Jesus triumphed as Jesus knew it would.  The weak and sinful Peter became the rock on which the Church is built.

I wish that I could tell you that we had a sinless Church.  Of course, for weeks now the newspapers have been giving much attention to our sins.  I could remind us that most of the criminal acts mentioned in the press happened 30 or more years ago.  I could tell you that we didn’t know as much about the difficulty of curing or controlling those who abuse children or the life-long damage caused to the victims.  I could remind us that much of this happened during a time of social and sexual confusion and revolution in the western world, of which priests were a part.  I could even say that all of this is an anti-Catholic plot and that we are living at a time of persecution.  My sense is that blaming others for our sins or saying that we are no worse than anyone else, or focusing our attention on the press and others who tell everyone about the truly scandalous actions of some priests and bishops would be to focus our attention in the wrong direction. 

Archbishop Nienstedt said recently, “Let me be clear when I again state that sexual molestation of any kind is indefensible.  It is a sin that cries out for forgiveness.  We can perhaps never apologize enough for what has taken place.  We must direct ourselves to the healing of the victims… I wish that we could go back to undo the harm that was done years ago. But, unfortunately, we cannot.  What we can and must do is make sure that it doesn’t happen today.”

Recently Pope Benedict said, “I have to say that we Christians, even in recent times, have often avoided the word ‘repentance,’ which seems too harsh. Now under the attacks of the world, which speaks to us of our sins, we see that the ability to repent is a grace, and we see how it is necessary to repent, that is, to recognize what is wrong in our life.”

My sense is that newspapers act like newspapers.  Whether we like it or not they focus on presenting data and selling newspapers.  While we may think that their reporting has not always been fair and balanced, too much of the story is true to make me comfortable with making the press and the media our major problem.   Focusing attention on the media may be an easy way of not focusing on the repentance that Pope Benedict says we need.

My question is whether the Church has always acted like the Church of Christ.  Have we dealt courageously and honestly with priests who have not acted like priests of Jesus Christ in their relationship with children and other vulnerable people?   The word “bishop” means “overseer.”  The role of the bishop is to oversee the Church of God.  Have bishops always acted responsibly in their role as overseers in the Church?  Pope Benedict recently wrote a letter to the people of Ireland. In it he says to the bishops, “It cannot be denied that some of you and your predecessors failed, at times grievously, to apply the long-established norms of canon law to the crime of child abuse. Serious mistakes were made in responding to allegations. I recognize how difficult it was to grasp the extent and complexity of the problem, to obtain reliable information and to make the right decisions in the light of conflicting expert advice. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that grave errors of judgment were made and failures of leadership occurred.”   (11)   Have all of us as pastors, parents and members of the Church done what we should have done to protect children in society, in the Church and at home? 

In the words of Pope Benedict we care called to repentance.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed. At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to change one's life, with hope in God's mercy and trust in the help of his grace. This conversion of the heart is accompanied by a salutary pain and sadness...”

Jesus loved Peter even when Peter often needed to walk the road of repentance.  Now, Jesus calls us to walk the road of repentance in healing the wounds in our Church.