I had a difficult time praying last night.
I couldn't bring myself to pray for Father Robert Timchak.
I was able to get some things off of my chest concerning him here, here, and here.
I kept thinking about yet another priest bringing scandal to the church and his parish, and to the many, many good priests that have tried to get out from under the shadow of the recent pedophile scandal.
Now, that shadow has returned.
Granted, we have been told Father Timchak never touched any boys, that he only downloaded gay kiddie porn. I hope that is true.
But I am also reminded that Satan and his agents target our priests more than the average person.
And I come to you with a challenge. If you are mad, if you feel betrayed, if you wonder how this kind of thing continues in the church, I challenge you to turn to God.
Pray right now. Ask God to strengthen Father Timchak to overcome his perversion, to fight off Satan and the demons that torment him. Pray for your own faith, that when things like this happen, and they will, that you will have the fortitude to continue on in your faith.
Because when things like this happen, when we are mad, if we can pray for others we are doing a good work. If we can put aside our anger and pray for him that angers us, we will be rewarded. And Father Timchak can receive some much needed grace.
I couldn't pray for him last night, but I can now.
Wherever you are reading this, just stop and pray this prayer:
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen
Or in Latin:
Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in praelio. Contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur. Tuque princeps militiae caelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo divina virtute in infernum detrude. Amen.
7 comments:
Thank you for this, brother.
- Christian
"Pray right now. Ask God to strengthen Father Timchak to overcome his perversion, to fight off Satan and the demons that torment him. Pray for your own faith, that when things like this happen, and they will, that you will have the fortitude to continue on in your faith.
Because when things like this happen, when we are mad, if we can pray for others we are doing a good work. If we can put aside our anger and pray for him that angers us, we will be rewarded. And Father Timchak can receive some much needed grace."
Yep, that's the spirit. Well said. I mean honestly thinking of praying for the aforementioned teacher is a bit nauseating, just because he caused so much personal annoyance in my life, but you know, I guess I'm supposed to.
But yeah like the commenter above, nice post! Gets my stamp of approval and check plus mark ;) I mean there's always that thing of those who abuse, usually were abused themselves in some way (if not sexually, maybe emotionally etc). And then if not that, then they still need the prays. I don't believe anyone out there is 100% evil. And no one is 100% good, either (except Jesus). So no matter who it is, we have to pray for that percent of what is good. If that makes sense.
And...I'm just curious on one thing you said here. You said how the pedophile thing seems to strike catholic priests more than the average joe. Do you really think that? Personally I've felt that's a misperception. Because I thought, a lot of priests were getting away with it because the catholic bigger-ups were aware but kept it hush hush in the past...and that's why we get a bad rap. But really...I don't believe it's just a Catholic priest thing. Other religious figures do it (rabbis etc)...and of course, teachers, camp counselors, neighbors, friends, relatives, coaches...etc ad infinitum...anyone with access to kids basically and probably some who intentionally go to a kid-job for access. Catholics are just associated with it more, I thought, because of the scandal of keeping it hush hush and shuffling priests before the truth got revealed and they got punished like I mentioned earlier. But what do I know?
- L
L -
What I said was "...that Satan and his agents target our priests more than the average person."
It is obvious, and the Saints and Popes have spoken of the fact, that Satan pursues priests with more zeal. And why wouldn't he? Look at the result when a priest goes bad.
That this is a young man, not one from the previous generation, points to the need for further housecleaning in seminary and in the continuing formation of priests. And just as with pro-abort Catholic politicians, who have a justification for their voting records, one must ask, what is it that is allowing this kind of lifestyle in our priesthood? We must pray but we must think and read and then we must act. I would suggest that at the very least we insist on clarity from our bishops and stop accepting contradictory statements. If it doesn't make sense to you, it probably doesn't make sense, and unclarity is often the door through which sin enters. We must examine the Vatican statements that followed the first wave of sexual scandals. Did those statements take a firm stand against homosexuality in our priesthood? I have not examined those statements myself, but I know one apparently well-formed and holy Catholic theologian who stopped supporting the indult movement within the Church and switched to SSPX, causing a stir on the website to which he had contributed so much, because he said the long-awaited statement from the Vatican simply lacked all teeth. Recently there was an outcry by a prominent (and usually pro-Council) Vatican-watch magazine because on the feast day of a saint who was very active in fighting homosexuality in the priesthood at a much earlier time in the Church, the Holy Father's homily on this saint's life left out that part of his mission altogether, which the report found astonishing enough to protest.
Yes we must pray, and we must also ask ourselves if our leadership is really addressing the issue head-on, or is it accomodating itself to the very, very powerful sex industry as it accomodates itself to other powerful and wrong realities in the modern world, under the general mind-set of 'things are getting better and better without any fuss from us,' mankind is 'progressing,' all religions have some 'good' in them with which we must unite, a mind-set very wise men have traced to the constitutions of Vatican II, specifically in this one case to Gaudium et spes, which reads like a poem to mankind and is very beautiful for that--and possibly deadly to confronting our baser nature--which hasn't changed at all. Nor has this tendency among our priests, it seems. So one must ask: how are our seminaries confronting it? The same way the Church is confronting Obama? That is, praising what is good (as I am sure this priest did much good, and certainly the bishop recently busted in Canada for the same perversion was famous for the good he did) and ignoring what is sick? Not a way to cure a patient! Not a way to cure the Church of this illness! Are bishops still looking the other way? Apparently! And why? Because the Council taught them to do so, and they are doing so in almost all other areas. It ought to be a heads' up as to the source of the infection!
Janet Baker is awesome!
Not sure if my comment didn't go through...but thanks for the clarification. You're right, I misinterpreted what you wrote. I thought you meant the pedophile thang hit priests harder...but I read wrong lol. You meant Satan antagonizes Priests more than the average joe, in general and overall. Which makes sense. Since they're close to God and do His works etc., Satan's gotta bring 'em down!
- L
Woah Janet Baker...just a second. It seems you're equating homosexuality with molesting children in your post there. Not the same thing at all. I'm not sure what a bishop's statement on homosexuality has to do with his stance on the sexual abuse that occured. Pedophilia is not specific to homosexuals.
- L
Post a Comment