Forgive, trust, do not judge

Amid the noise of outrage, protest and demands toward the Catholic Church for the pain it is experiencing, there is one voice that has not been considered and, seemingly, not been heard. I hope to represent his voice here.

Each of us would be well served to be guided by the lessons Jesus bequeathed to us, through his own actions. The first, to forgive. Although Jesus chose each apostle, they were not perfect. During what was probably the worst time of his life, Jesus forgave Peter for denying him, Thomas for doubting him and the other apostles for abandoning him. He also chose St. Paul, forgiving his previous wrongs. Jesus forgave the very people who called for and executed his crucifixion. Rather than turning our backs on priests and, by extension, Jesus himself, we can follow his example and forgive.

The second, to judge not. The silence of many of the accused priests should not be judged as guilt. Jesus was falsely accused. However, through it all, he maintained his dignity and silence. Jesus relieves us of the burden of adjudicating this situation of which we will never know the whole truth. Jesus is the ultimate judge.

The third, to trust in Jesus completely. He takes the heavy yoke upon his shoulders and gives us the easy tasks; to forgive, to judge not and to trust in him that God's will be done. He showed us what God willed for Judas.

Kathryn Godlewski

Fox Lake