The divine origin of the Church
Bishop Bernard J. Sheil in 1953
In one of his colorful narratives, Catholic author Eddie Doherty describes how he explained the “divine origin of the Church” to a gathering of Hollywood people in the early 1940s.
A starlet complained to Doherty that she had left the Church because of a priest who acted without much holiness. Others in the group agreed with her, but Doherty told the group that a bishop who was a friend of his had explained that bad priests were proof of the “divine origin of the Church.” The Hollywood folk were puzzled, but Doherty explained what his friend the bishop had meant by that curious statement. Doherty’s friend happened to be Bishop Bernard Sheil of Chicago, who had founded the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) that entertained many of us who attended parochial schools in other decades.
Through the centuries, there have been bad priests, bishops who acted in shameful ways and even Popes that no decent person would invite to his or her home, Bishop Sheil had said. More damage had been done to the Church from within its membership throughout history than from its enemies, and yet none of its truth or luster had been tarnished. The Bishop said, “Doesn’t that prove the divine origin of the Church?” It can have scandal, and yet it continues because it was founded by Jesus upon the Rock that is Peter.
Pope Benedict XVI ordered an investigation of the Legion of Christ last month. The order’s founder, Father Marcial Maciel, died at 87 in 2008. Two years before, the Pope had ordered Maciel to leave the ministry and to spend the rest of his life “in prayer and penitence” after allegations of pedophilia, homosexual acts and an illegitimate child with a mistress. The investigation now in progress will look into allegations against other Legion of Christ members.
No doubt there are many who will look at the scandal of Father Maciel and leave the Church or take his case as a symptom of a sick, flawed institution. Neither should be the response from faithful Catholics. Despite sinners and depraved members in ministry or in the pews, the Church is still of divine origin. It will continue today as it has yesterday and as it will tomorrow–from the Alpha to the Omega.
Satan gains more from tempting those within the divine Church founded by Jesus Christ than he does from tempting those outside it. Let us offer a prayer for the healing of the victims of the Church’s scandals and for the forgiveness of those who commit monstrous acts while representing our Church.
