Reading I 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23
In those days, Saul went down to the desert of Ziph with three thousand picked men of Israel, to search for David in the desert of Ziph.
So David and Abishai went among Saul’s soldiers by night and found Saul lying asleep within the barricade, with his spear thrust into the ground at his head and Abner and his men sleeping around him.
Abishai whispered to David: “God has delivered your enemy into your grasp this day. Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I will not need a second thrust!”
But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the LORD’s anointed and remain unpunished?”
So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head, and they got away without anyone’s seeing or knowing or awakening.
All remained asleep, because the LORD had put them into a deep slumber.
Going across to an opposite slope, David stood on a remote hilltop at a great distance from Abner, son of Ner, and the troops.
He said: “Here is the king’s spear. Let an attendant come over to get it. The LORD will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness. Today, though the LORD delivered you into my grasp, I would not harm the LORD’s anointed.”
REFLECTION:
As people from the United States we are very used to judging everything and everybody around us. We like to think that we are all equal, and thus we can weigh in the intentions of anybody.
So what if a priest is accused of wrongdoing?
After decades of different priests repeating the same type of crimes, many have grown exhausted of these misdoings and the handling of the perpetrators. I do have to mention that many priests have also been wrongly accused of crimes they did not commit. And this is only in the United States. There are also priests that are persecuted, kidnapped, and murdered in countries as far as Nigeria, and as close as Mexico just for being Catholic priests.
What are the ways we react when a priest has committed a crime? Some people decide to be indifferent and forget the matter: Not my monkeys, not my circus. Some plainly leave the Church thinking the grass is greener on the other side, becoming Orthodox, Evangelical, non denominational, etc. My late husband used to say the grass is greener by the septic tank, meaning, problems exist everywhere. We cannot escape human nature, and evading problems won't solve the matter. Other people become social activists and demand justice. But then they create a wide blanket that labels all priests as the worst type of criminals.
So what is PAPA's attitude towards priests that have not followed on their vocation?
Our answer: We pray for the priests to take responsibility for their life and be accountable for their deeds.
From our spiritual advisor, Fr. Michael:
We want priests to be holy like Christ. We want to see priests who adore Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, who love His Church and who are willing to live and lay down their life for His people.
Our mission is very simple. Pray for the holiness of all our priests and invite others to pray for them as well.
Remember the words of St. John Marie Vianney:
“A priest goes to Heaven or a priest goes to Hell with a thousand people behind.”
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