Current Catholic crisis can’t overshadow beauty of our faith

Another viewpoint is a column The News-Herald makes available so all sides of an issue can be aired.

Tom Wetzel lives in Willoughby.

Northeast Ohio has long had a strong concentration of Roman Catholic Christians living here. Drive through nearly any city and you will find a church named after a saint possibly attached to a parochial school. Stroll through neighborhood streets and you won’t have a hard time noticing front yards sprinkled with statues honoring Mary, the Mother of Jesus or St. Francis, a Christian saint associated with a love for animals.

As a cradle to eventual grave Catholic, I’m sure many of them are feeling the same level of sadness, shock and disappointment that I have experienced as we hear more about the scandalous behavior of some church officials spanning different periods of time. As investigations continue in different states, I’m sure we will shutter to learn about more of our brother and sister victims who still suffer and need our prayers and support.

As more information gets discovered, it will likely shake the faith of many Catholic Christians and have others question why we would continue to be part of this religious institution dating back to Christ himself when he started our church. But the reasons for staying are many as the Catholic Church provides us with a rich network of faith filled opportunities for worship, love and service which is why I am confident we will survive this.

Besides our weekly obligation for attending Mass services on Sundays where the august celebration of Holy Eucharist is presented to us as a gift from God, we can enjoy this religious experience daily if desired as churches throughout our community offer Mass seven days a week. Besides this beautiful offering, our faith is rich in prayer opportunities that can be done individually or in group settings.

One of the most powerful is the recitation of the Rosary where we reach out to Jesus’s mother to pray with us. Sometimes confused by people, we are not praying to Mary as a God but instead are asking her to help us in our prayer intentions. It isn’t much different than when we ask a friend to prayer for a sick loved one. Now two prayers reach God’s ears instead of one. The beads used for praying a Rosary can also be used in other meditative prayers such as the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy where our supplications to Jesus involve his gifts of mercy.

The fabric of Catholic life also presents an enormity of service opportunities as works of faith are so dear to us. Churches offer a myriad of organizations that allow us to serve both fellow Christians and those of other faiths in need. Lay groups like the Legion of Mary will visit hospitals and those in nursing homes to minister to their spiritual needs while other institutions like the Knights of Columbus offer members the chance to do beautiful works of charity on a regular basis. Catholic churches have bereavement groups who care for those suffering human losses. Catholic organizations run food kitchens and allow us to serve those who are hungry. There is a clear link between the Christ’s beatitudes from his sermon on the Mount to service organizations offered through Catholic Churches in northeast Ohio.

And when it comes to community, well, let’s just say we Catholics know how to have fun. Whether its summer festivals and church picnics to bingo nights, we enjoy coming together in fellowship with others. But what is most important about being a Catholic Christian is the rich opportunity to connect and strengthen our faith in Jesus, our eternal hope and salvation.

Despite the tragic events we see around us and the sad affirmation of our flawed human condition, our missionary church can still offer a glimmer of hope in an often dark world.

And as Linus could have said so eloquently to Charles Brown about our faith “That’s what Catholicism is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Tom Wetzel