The Seasons: A Poem

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Sunrise over Amazing Grasses Family Farm The mad Artist wields His brush, Painted colors rush, To life and give flush, Before the quiet autumn hush. The life seems to pour, As colors fall to the floor, To be seen no more, Outside the dark, grey door. Brightness from below, Sun upon the snow, High, cold clouds blow, Flakes and ice appear to grow. The man melts with little seen, Underneath, pale, grey green, Hides life in dark unseen, Waits for warmth and to careen. Buds on branches show, Patience starts to grow, Trickles, streams and veins flow, Bringing fruits of melted snow. Sprung to life it springs, Bees, birds, sound rings, Lush green flings, Its gift bounty brings. Green growth gives one last rush, Underneath the Painter's brush. The mad Artist wields His brush, before the quiet autumn hush. More poetry is available from James M. Hahn in  The Last Dragon and Other Poems  available now. My new book of cryptogram puzzles " Secret Messages from the Saints " is avai
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Scandal, Sackcloth, and Ashes

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"This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him." - Mark 9:7

Like many, I too am in shock at the goings on in the Church today.  A steady stream of revelations of sexual abuse by the clergy is eroding the faith in the United States and elsewhere.  This steady stream picks up speed with the seemingly useless gathering of bishops with Pope Francis.

Image result for sorrowI'm not a Vatican expert or Church expert but all I've seen over the past year is a bunch of hand-wringing and posturing.  I think that the lacization of former Cardinal McCarrick, days before the gathering, was mostly a PR stunt designed to put forth the image that the Church is serious in her actions.

When I read statements from Bishop Blasie Cupich that basically say that where there is questionable conduct by bishops, bishops should police each other, my eye-roll rivals that of any teenager.  Really?  In 2002 the bishops agreed that the foxes would guard the hen house.  Now we have an even better idea, get this, we'll have the foxes police the foxes who are guarding the hen house.  What could possibly go wrong?  We'll address that question around the year 2036.

No matter the outcome of this gathering, I have little faith that much will be done.  Like so many other situations in our culture, the bishops will rely on our ever shortening attention spans.  Except for those directly affected by abuse and those who were looking for an excuse to leave the Church, this too shall pass.

So what should be done?  Everyone has an opinion and I'll share mine here although it's more fantasy than opinion.

Image result for Pope francis ashesFirst, Pope Francis should declare a Year of Fasting & Penance in Reparation for the Sins Against Chastity.  Seriously, we need to drag out those sack cloths gathering dust in the closet and cook up some fresh ashes.  We've had Jubilee Years, the Year of Mercy, the Year of the Family, and so on.  Why not a year of Fasting & Penance?  It could begin on Ash Wednesday and end on Easter the following year.  It could be a year where the Church takes time to pray, sacrifice, and reflect on sins against chastity and purity.  It would be a great antidote to the crazy sexualized culture we find ourselves in today.

Second, in conjunction with the Year of Fasting and Penance, there should be a year-long study of St. Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body and St. Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humane Vitae.  These works have the power to transform each and every one of us.  It would be no easy task, but a year devoted to prayer, sacrifice, penance, and study could have an extremely powerful effect and become a powerful witness to the world.  Think about it, if we all promised to "give-up" (Netflix, TV, surfing the Web endlessly, beer, snacks, porn, gossip, etc) for one year and replaced it with prayer and study, that would transform us and those around us!

Thirdly, there should be some sort of lay operated oversight organization on a conference level and on diocesan levels.  These organizations would be responsible for investigating any accusations against priests and bishops.  They would eliminate the temptation of bishops (in some cases well-meaning bishops who believe their priests) to re-assign accused priests.  This organization, with the help of law enforcement and other professionals would then make their recommendation to the Bishop who would have the final say in the matter.  This would be transparency, especially in cases where the bishop went against the recommendations.  He would have to give an account as to why he chose the course of action.  The organization would also be tasked with restoring the good name of anyone falsely accused.

Ultimately though, I firmly believe that we didn't get to this point by accident or overnight.  We've forgotten who we are.  We've assimilated into a godless culture, a neo-pagan culture with just enough Christianity to inoculate it against the Truth, Jesus Christ.  These priests and bishops didn't arrive at their parishes and Cathedrals out of the nether.  They were raised in broken, hurting families, in the midst of a broken, hurting world.  There is an answer but it involves us stopping our genital gazing, stopping our selfie taking, and stopping our trying to fit in.  We aren't destined to fit in!  We were made for more and we are here to be salt and light.  Sometimes salt stings!  But it also gives flavor and acts a preservative!  Sometimes light blinds!  But it also helps us to see clearly so we can avoid eternal stumbling blocks.

Image result for catholic family mealIn short, the answer to the problem is two-fold.  First, we need to make right the wrongs committed and ensure that they never happen again.  Those who committed crimes, if they are alive, need to be punished, not Church punished though!  They need to be turned over to civil authorities.  Second, we need to begin the impossible task of rebuilding authentic Catholic culture.  Catholic men and women must embrace Jesus Christ and the Church.  They in turn must instill this gift to their children and grandchildren.  Those children and grandchildren will be our future sisters, priests, and bishops.  We must ask the Lord to make all things new.

I earnestly beg Pope Francis to consider a Year of Fasting & Penance (see Jonah 3:6-9).  I beg him to lead us in a study of our faith especially in area of sexuality.  I beg him to devote the next year of Wednesday audiences to a group study of the aforementioned books with his flock.  Perhaps he could ask all Catholics and Christians of good will to observe Wednesdays and Fridays as days of fasting and abstinence.  He could cancel all trips for the next year and devote that time to helping the abused and afflicted (leading by example).  As an outward sign and weekly reminder to the faithful, he could ask all parishes throughout the world to cover their statues in black or purple as is often done during the Triduum.  In the year 2000 we had a Holy Door, why not something similar to remind us of the Year of Fasting & Penance?

Regardless of whether Pope Francis reads my blog and takes my advice, let us in our own way take on these penances to the best of our abilities.  Let us hear today's words of the Gospel and allow them to sink deeply into our hearts and souls - "This is my beloved Son.  Listen to him."  If we do only this, we can truly change the world.

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