Jesuit priest James Martin of America magazine and author of fine book, My Life with the Saints, was a recent guest on Steven Colbert's program, The Colbert Report. Now, as you watch the video and before you get down on Colbert, know that he's an active Catholic by faith and a comedian by profession. And he holds Fr. Martin in high regard. But he's still a comedian!
I draw your attention to this because of one sentence Martin speaks towards the end of the clip above. Speaking of the pope's meeting with the sexual abuse victims he says, "Ironically, the most important thing he did while he was here was the least public. If he had done only that, it would have been enough."
Those are telling words and I'll bet many readers might agree with them.
What strikes me in that quote is that some of the most important things the Church and its ministers do are the least public. Since the revelations of abuse in January 2002, the public life of the Church has been the object of much-deserved anger, disappointment and mistrust. And yet, over these past six years, the Church has continued both its public and its hidden mission to millions of people around the world, across this nation and even here in Boston, the infamous epicenter of the crisis. In spite of everything, the Catholic Church has continued to serve as the second largest provider of social services in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts - second only to the state itself. And it has continued to do that with far less financial support than in previous years. In every city and town, under the crippling dark cloud of the abuse crisis, parishes have continued to serve the needs of Catholic parishioners and the needs of so many who come to the Catholic faith community and its ministries for help.
The headlines reporting the Church's failures can easily obscure the good that continues to be done quietly, in and outside the public 's eye. This past week, the papal visit beautifully attended to both the public and the private. Benedict's words and deeds were witnessed by millions the world 'round but the most important words and the most important encounter took place behind the closed doors of a chapel where a remorseful shepherd tended to his wounded flock.
Ironically,
the most important thing he did
was the least public.
If he had done only that,
it would have been enough.
the most important thing he did
was the least public.
If he had done only that,
it would have been enough.
-ConcordPastor
I love Steven Colbert, especially when he talks about Catholicism. I'm also a regular reader of James Martin articles. I'll have to check out this book.
ReplyDeleteI too believe that the meeting with the few abused victims, which was unexpected, was the best thing that happened during the Papal visit. Hopefully Pope Benedict will continue to reach out to these people now. He saw the large volume of names. There are still many people out there who remain quiet and are still suffering.
Anne
What a riot! I had never seen Colbert. I have read James Martin's My Life With the Saints. Excellent. It is a book you can read straight through or pick a chapter to concentrate on. I like Martin's honesty and humor, which comes through in this book, and which came through in his appearance on Colbert's show. Thanks for this entry, Concord Pastor!
ReplyDelete"Ironically,
ReplyDeletethe most important thing he did
was the least public.
If he had done only that,
it would have been enough..."
Indeed, I too believe it would have been enough; it touched the hearts not only of the victims, but, I daresay, of nearly every Catholic. My prayer is that it has touched those who have been hanging onto their Catholic faith by a thread and those for whom the thread had already frayed to it's breaking point ...