"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and twill take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."
This particular Gospel reading was my friend Fr. Tetrualt's favorite. In fact, he had it read and preached about at his funeral back in 2007. It is hard to explain to many people who Fr. Tetrault was to me, because he was the first Catholic Priest I worked for after I graduated from college in 1994. He was funny and serious. He was as practical as he was intellectual. Fr. Tetrault had a heart of gold and arms outstretched to many people who were often unloved by their own family. I was very fortunate to be one of those people he held his arms and heart out to. When I came out and told him I was gay, he a Catholic Priest told me that I had to love people the way God created me to love them, and that I could love no other way. He affirmed for me that God had created me as I am, and that my being gay was how God created me to love other people. It is a lesson that I have held on to since the day he told me that. Oddly enough in 2007 when I made the mistake of becoming involved with the Courage ministry that was started by Cardinal Cook, it was among the first things that the local chaplain had told me to work on erasing from my mind.
Fr. Tetrault was more to me than just a best friend, mentor and a great Priest. He was also a Priest who taught me the meaning of fortitude. Fr. Tetrault was wounded by the Priest pedophilia scandals. Fr. Tetrault never laid a hand on a child. Fr. Tetrault never used his Priestly authority over a child to abuse or manipulate them. Yet, when the scandal of Fr. Jim Porter became public news, because Fr. Tetrault was the Pastor of one of the Parishes in the early 1990's, where Fr. Porter had molested dozens of altar boys in the 1960's, Fr. Tetrault's name wound up smeared along with Fr. Porter. In as much as the church that Fr. Tetrault served for 40 years of his life had disappointed him, he never stopped ministering to God's people in loving and holy ways. The day after new Bishop was installed in the Diocese, he met and asked Fr. Tetrault what he wanted the Bishop to do for him. Fr. Tetrault asked the Bishop to come to his Parish and listen first to the people who were so injured by a church that did not look out for their interests. Fr. Tetrault's first concern was the wounded people, not his own priestly stature, or even the press that was hounding him day in and day out. The Bishop listened to Fr. Tetrault. And though the scandal that broke out into the news media has become worse and Fr. Tetrault is now gone due to heart failure (gee I wonder why?) his name is still a good name, because of how much he loved people.
I think the reason Fr. Tetrault was able to do what he did, even though he faced tremendous obstacles is because he knew who was the "way, truth and life". And Fr. Tetrault knew that his ministry was first for the people he served, and he often paid a hefty price for the way he loved other people.
As the pedophile scandals become more urgent through the news media and now questions about the motives of the church and the Pope himself, I think it is important to ask the question who exactly is the way, truth and life. Is it Jesus Christ or the church? Rev. Canon Susan Russell helped me to ask myself this question as I read her blog post last night.
Dowd goes on to make some important points about how "negating women is at the heart of the church’s hideous — and criminal — indifference to the welfare of boys and girls in its priests’ care" and I couldn't agree more. In fact, I was reading along thinking how grateful I am for all the hard work that has been done in my own church -- The Episcopal Church -- through clergy misconduct training and creating dramatic changes in the climate of transparency and accountablity to protect the most vulnerable.
And then I got to this part:
As the longtime Vatican enforcer, the archconservative Ratzinger — now Pope Benedict XVI — moved avidly to persecute dissenters. But with molesters, he was plodding and even merciful ... As in so many other cases, the primary concern seemed to be shielding the church. Chillingly, outrageously, the future pope told [an] Oakland bishop to consider the “good of the universal church” before granting the priest’s own request to give up the collar.Outrageous, I thought. Shocking. IMAGINE choosing the institutional church over an incarnational member of the Body of Christ.
Like Maureen Dowd, I wondered, "How could anyone put up with that from their church?"
And then, like Maureen Dowd it hit me: There are those who would have my church -- The Episcopal Church -- do the same thing.
Exhibit A: This letter from the Diocese of Virginia -- explaining why they declined to the consent to the election of Mary Glasspool as a bishop for Los Angeles:
The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Virginia has declined to consent to the election of the Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool as bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Los Angeles because, in the view of a majority of the Committee, her election is inconsistent with the moratorium agreed to by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. That majority believes that, at this time, failure by individual dioceses to respect the Church's agreement to the moratorium would be detrimental to the good order of our Church and bring into question its reliability as an institution. The committee found no other reason to withhold its consent to the election of Canon Glasspool.The "order of the church" trumped the qualifications of the candidate. And the beat goes on.
Is there a difference between failing to consent to the election of a bishop suffragan and failing to protect children from pedophile priests? Of course there is.
But whenever we elevate the institutional church and its order, power and privilege over the Gospel call to embrace all God's beloved we compromise the high calling we've been given as the Body of Christ on earth. Ignoring pedophilia is a shocking abdication of our vocation as Christians. So is ignoring homophobia. And misogyny. And racism.
Anytime we choose the instititution (the structure of the church) over the incarnation (the members of our human family created in the image of God) we fall short of who God is calling us to be.
And that, my brothers and sisters, isn't just a shame. It's a sin.
Jesus Christ is the way, truth and life because he leads all people to God. Jesus does not weigh our value because we live by certain doctrines, in certain denominations or because we are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered people. We are led to God by Jesus, because we are recognized as individuals created in the image and likeness of God. God sees our hardships, our issues and how many of us are viewed as second class citizens. In Jesus, God does not see any of us that way. God sees us all through Jesus as God's beloved children with whom God is well pleased. God views us through God's unconditional and all inclusive love. When we are hurting because of the Church, God's heart is truly broken, even when the Church does not seem all that concerned. Jesus is the way, truth and life because in Jesus God challenges all people, and the Body of Christ which is the Church to continue to be redeemed and sanctified so that we may lead others to know of God's extravagant love for every person.
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday of Easter, Book of Common Prayer, Page 224).
O God, the creator and preserver of all, we humbly beseech you for all sorts and conditions of people; that you would be pleased to make your ways known unto them, your saving health unto all nations. More especially we pray for your holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by your good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are in any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body, or estate; that it may please you to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we beg for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. (Prayer for All Sorts and Conditions, Book of Common Prayer, Page 815).
Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, Page 816).
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