| Recently I read a well-meaning yet misguided article* | | | | relationship to the Father. We are given these as |
| on the moral dilemma within the Catholic Church; and, | | | | examples to be as Christ and His Body. There is no |
| although agreeing with some of the observations, the | | | | inferior status or justification for abuse anywhere |
| viewpoint needs a better focus due to the sense of | | | | mentioned. To the contrary, I Corinthians 12 states that |
| despair it leaves the reader. There is real hope! The | | | | "...those members of the body, which we think to be |
| claim - "Many people have washed their hands of | | | | less honourable, upon these we bestow more |
| religion" -- Nothing new here, consider Pontius Pilate - | | | | abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more |
| Rome's governor of Judaea when he came | | | | abundant comeliness." |
| face-to-face with Jesus Christ: Matthew 27:24-25, " | | | | For a body to turn on itself in such a manner is akin to |
| When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that | | | | leprosy where the flesh eats away, making the person |
| rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed | | | | "unclean" for association. Like you say a "moral |
| his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of | | | | cancer", yet Christ healed even the lepers, not only |
| the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then | | | | curing and cleansing them but restoring them to their |
| answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, | | | | proper relationship. |
| and on our children." There is Power in the Blood of | | | | Jesus came to heal those who were in need of a |
| the Lamb! | | | | physician. His truth is the light that overcomes the |
| John 18:38, "Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And | | | | darkest, most rotten and perverse and unclean |
| when he had said this, he went out again unto the | | | | thought, word and deed of men. We need not be |
| Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all." | | | | victims allowing the abuse to dictate terms as to who |
| Rome was the ruling world power in that day. Pontius | | | | we are. We can be made whole in Him. |
| Pilate as Rome's representative could either accept or | | | | Sinful people still try to cover up but God's light is |
| reject Christ as Truth. He took the cowardly way by | | | | shining and exposing the limitations of the man-made |
| washing himself of responsibility and placing the blame | | | | "vestments." When one of our "members" or parts |
| on the people. He recognized that he did not have it | | | | suffer, damage is to the entire body. If you lop off a |
| within himself to save. It remains the same today, the | | | | body part, you might survive but in a limited way and |
| world can either accept or reject Truth but it cannot | | | | likely reliant upon a man-made prosthesis. Humans are |
| save itself. Blame is an abdication of responsibility. | | | | limited in their powers of regeneration physically so |
| There's no denying that the abuse of children as well | | | | likewise, spiritual self-healing. But with God, nothing is |
| as the mistreatment of women have profound | | | | impossible. |
| repercussions in their effects on the Church as a | | | | Agreed, it is time for the Body to come into the light |
| whole. Scripture nowhere endorses mistreatment of | | | | because it is there that we have proper fellowship |
| others. In Matthew 22, Jesus tells us- "Thou shalt love | | | | with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us |
| the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, | | | | from all unrighteousness That is the miracle of love |
| and with all thy mind. This is the first and great | | | | and restoration. Remember Jesus when outside |
| commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou | | | | Lazarus' tomb - even Lazarus' sisters had no earthly |
| shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two | | | | idea of the power of God. Jesus wept in the face of |
| commandments hang all the law and the prophets." | | | | doubt and unbelief because the focus was on man |
| In Ephesians 5 we see the proper relationship of a | | | | and his limitations and not on the unfathomable love |
| man and wife. All relationships stem from our | | | | and power of God. |