Living Moments of Gratitude
It’s incredible what feelings an elderly man burdened by a lot of pressures from the world media can generate.
Pope Benedict is in Malta – and although initially there was a feeling that the welcome would be lukewarm, the Maltese have risen once again to embrace the spirituality that gives meaning in life.
Although it may seem incomprehensible for some people, the energy generated by the pope… the feelings of love, compassion, excitement respect and enthusiasm shown by the children and the people is just incredible.
The pressure on the pope related to the issue of paedophile scandals is enormous and it must really be a big burden. No one can ever justify such bad behavior by people who should be protecting the innocent – and it is not right that certain authorities tried to hide this.
I think as Christians we should be humble enough to accept that we make mistakes like everyone, and maybe the Catholic Church has an opportunity to look with humility and understand what is happening, what are the signs of the times and what can be done to prevent this…..
Having said this…
I think that even the perpetrators of these acts are humans who need help, even if the act itself was horrible… and we must be careful not to judge the people themselves, but the acts they do, even if they still should pay for the consequences.
Let us also remember with gratitude the great work that the Catholic Church does around the world… the many missionary charities like Mother Theresa’s, the help done in silence by priests, brothers and laymen in Church institutions……
Let’s learn to look at and celebrate what is beautiful, what is good, what gives sustenance and hope to Man’s Spirit.
The reality is that the priests of the Church are humans with good intentions but also with their fragility, and the Media, being what it is focuses only on what’s wrong. And it could be argued that this is the Media’s job, but unfortunately the many good deeds done are rarely recorded… we only want to know what shocks us.
The good news today was that the Pope did meet with the victims of paedophile abuse in Malta and it was a very moving and healing experience as expressed by one of the victims afterwards.
This is the beauty of reconciliation and healing of wounds and it is something that can only happen if we as humans are
humble and do not play God by trying to judge people, even if the actions are wrong. We have to be careful not to be cynical by looking at what is negative only.
So, let’s make sure that we address ALL mistakes and acknowledge the damage done to people who suffered because of these scandals.
The victims of paedophile abuse did not deserve this suffering and they were victims who suffered because of the mistakes of others. We must make these people feel that their pain is real and that we acknowledge this and open our arms to love them for their suffering.
But let us also celebrate feel gratitude and acknowledge the beauty of good works that the Church has done over the years and is still doing EVERYDAY in spite of its mistakes.
May God bless everyone and provide us with a structure such as the Church and other genuine Spiritual movements or Religions who provide us with hope, love, connection and compassion for each other…..
And to my Maltese brothers and sisters…. enjoy the moment and enthusiasm of the Pope’s visit and let’s look at how we can connect and live in harmony together.
Let’s make this experience a lasting expression of a small nation with a big heart.
