A ROAD MARKED WITH SUFFERING
Like many, I watched the three-part ABC documentary, Revelation. And yes, to be honest, it was difficult viewing. It is confronting to hear survivors of child sexual abuse tell their stories. It is challenging to know we belong to a church that has caused, and continues to cause, great suffering in its mishandling of child sexual abuse. There is great trauma within our communities and we cannot turn away from it.
Confronted with such suffering, I find myself at a loss. What can I do? What can our church do?
I am not an expert on such things. I really don’t know where to start. The only place I can really begin is by listening. We need to listen to the stories of the survivors. We need to listen to the stories of their families. We need to listen to the story that is told by the hundreds of victims who have taken their own lives due to the unbearable pain that they endured. We need to listen without prejudice. We need to listen and accept what we hear. And maybe then, we will come to a place where we can find a way to journey together, to learn together and maybe even to heal.
The words of Archbishop Coleridge at the final Mass of the Vatican Summit on the Protection of Minors sets us on this path:
A mission stretches before us – a mission demanding not just words but real concrete action. We will do all we can to bring justice and healing to survivors of abuse; we will listen to them, believe them and walk with them.
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For those who profess faith in Jesus, the passion narrative of Sunday’s gospel confronts us with another image of immense suffering. Jesus is stripped, beaten, mocked and nailed to the cross where he hangs for hours until his death. It is difficult to comprehend the reasons why Jesus suffered the brutality of crucifixion. But Jesus did suffer. Jesus knows what it means to share in the suffering of others.
Our world is suffering now. If we hope to have any meaning in our communities in the weeks and months to come, our church needs to be seen in the midst of that suffering. We need to share the wounds of the world. And like Simon of Cyrene, may we too help to carry the cross.
And like Jesus, may we find ways to love this world whatever the cost.