But you, who do you say that I am?
It cuts through all of the rumor and the gossip, doesn’t
it? The world has its opinions about who Jesus is, but ultimately, what He
cares about is what you think: Who do you say that I am?
* * *
These past two weeks, Pope Francis has made two executive
decisions that have really taken the world by storm. There has also been a lot
of rumor and gossip about what he’s said. Knowing that you are “out there”
having to field questions from friends, colleagues, and family—whether at home,
at the water-cooler, or even as you watch your kids play soccer—knowing that
there is a lot of conversations going on about Pope Francis’ words, I thought I’d
cut through some of the rumor and give you some points that you could then give
to others.
First, his decision about abortions and forgiveness…
The media has led everyone to think that the sin of
abortion could not be forgiven until now. That’s false. Every sin—EVERY SIN—can
be forgiven. And not just during the upcoming Year of Mercy.
What Pope Francis did last week has some history to it. In
this country, before Roe v. Wade in 1973, abortions were relatively rare. It
was a crime not only in church law, but to some degree in civil law. In the
church, the crime received the penalty of excommunication—which also acts as an
alert and a reminder to the culture about the gravity of a crime. In “the old
days,” the priest could forgive the sin, but the penalty of excommunication
would have to be lifted. This would be done by the bishop and with relative
ease. And again: excommunication was rare because abortion was rare.
In the 1980s, when the church in the United States saw
the ballooning rates of abortions because of Roe v. Wade, most priests were
given, in addition to the power to forgive (which they already possessed), the
power to lift the excommunication. Such has been the case in St. Louis for a
while. This means that everyone who has confessed the sin of abortion here has
been forgiven and the excommunication has also been lifted. Thanks be to God.
Now, all areas of the world have not seen quite the
proliferation of abortion as we have. But abortion is expanding in the world.
Consequently, the Pope thought it expedient to grant the bishop’s power to all
priests throughout the world during the Year of Mercy. Here in St. Louis, this
power will remain even when the Year of Mercy ends. Again, thanks be to God.
But, also: Lord have mercy. The reason why I have the
power to lift excommunication is because abortion in the US is so frequent.
Pope Francis’ words remind us that abortion is not just a grave illness in the
US, but a growing global plague. The Pope has simply made more doctors— more
doctors precisely because the illness is getting worse. So, see in Pope Francis
words not only great mercy, but a great call to pray for an end to the greatest
of human cancers which is abortion!
* * *
The second executive decision that Pope Francis made concerned
annulments.
I could say a lot about annulments, not only because my
mom went through the process, but also because I am an advocate here in the
Archdiocese—which means that I prepare the cases and help couples through the
process (which, I guess, is kind of like a paralegal).
Since I don’t have an hour with you, I will simply say
that Pope Francis has streamlined the annulment process. In the past, an
annulment case would be judged by one court and then, after that initial
decision, the case would be judged by another (appellate) court. The case would
be carefully examined by three judges. This double-court, three-judge system
existed as a kind of safeguard to protect truth and also to ensure justice.
What Pope Francis did this week—and he can do this because we are dealing with
processes of law and not doctrine proper—what Pope Francis did was to simplify
the process by eliminating the second court and the three judges, thereby making
it simply one court with one judge. To my understanding, this could possibly
remove 3-5 months of wait time for some cases here in St. Louis. That’s good
news.
What is bad about this is that it reveals to us the
epidemic of failed marriages. And in epidemics, we often can’t do intricate
surgery. We do triage. It appears that’s what we now have.
So, see in the Pope’s words not only a generous and
merciful Pope, but also one who is calling for much prayer for the renewal of
marriages!
* * *
What can we do about all of this?
I think we need to really take a step back and honestly
answer Jesus’ question today: “Who do you say that I am?”
As an advocate that does annulments, I see and read many
cases. And the reality is, every couple is answering this question by how much
or how little they pray together as a couple. Is Jesus the Lord and Savior of
your marriage?
If you say that He is, then He is going to reveal the
secret to being married:
Anyone who wishes to come after me must deny himself and take up his
cross daily and follow me.
* * *
For my part, not only do I pray and sacrifice for
marriages—praying for you daily—but I have also boosted up my marriage
preparation program. This is already a long homily, so I’m going to skip ahead
and simply say that our marriage program is awesome.
I do think we need to do more to help couples in their
early formative years—in those years where it is so easy to become a lost
island, alone with many questions with no one to help, with little kids and
thinking they have to re-invent the wheel and so on. We—all of us, you and I—need to look for and reach out to our young
couples, to carry our cross and step outside our comfort zones by introducing
ourselves and having them over for dinner… and simply letting them know that
they are not alone and that here—in the very place where they should expect
love and community—here is where they will find it!
And you have something to offer them! You who have been
married for a few years, you have wisdom. And they need this. Let us get to
know one another!
And notice: in the bulletin, you will see wedding banns—announcements
of who is getting married in the coming weeks. These are our parishioners who
are saying yes to a very important vocation. We need to pray for them! So, cut
out this part of the bulletin, and place it on your dinner table or in your
prayer book and spiritually adopt these couples. Pray for them when you are at
dinner.
You’ll notice that their wedding dates and times are
listed. Why? So you can crash their wedding! Really, you can go to their
wedding—not the reception, of course—but you can go to their wedding. It’s not
a private event. It’s a public deal—a vocation we should all rejoice in. So go,
say hello, give a gift, and rediscover the beauty of your marriage again!
Brothers and sisters, if there is a marriage crisis out
there, it’s because there is a marriage crisis in here. It isn’t simply because
the priest or the Pope isn’t doing enough to save marriages, WE aren’t doing
enough to save marriages.
Who do you say that I am?
* * *
For those who have experienced a divorce or been abandoned,
my heart goes out to you. I know the pain of divorce and my prayers are with
you. The Church is here for you.
For those who are in need of an annulment, now is the
time. Let us seek together the mercy of God!
And for those who have been hurt by a priest or the
church during a past annulment, let me say on their behalf that I am so, so
sorry. I pray that deep wounds may be healed. I pray that we can begin anew.
Together let us all pray for any couple who is too busy
to pray and too prideful to say “I’m sorry.” We know all too well the danger
they are in! Let us pray for the renewal of marriages and family in our
culture. Yes, that Pope Francis has made the annulment process easier should
give us all pause: pause to thank God for so much mercy, and pause to pray for
all of us who need it. Amen.
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