This was in the office of readings today, Psalm 50.  “…But God said to the wicked: But how can you recite my commandments and take my covenant on your lips, you who despise my law and throw my words to the winds…”  Of course it goes on.

A few weeks ago I gave a homily about the Holy Spirit and how the Holy Spirit being God can not and will not contradict himself.  I also mentioned that the Roman Catholic Church is not a Church of sola scriptura but we believe in the rich tapestry of our tradition.  That tradition is from God,  The Holy Spirit is the third person of God who transmits, (transmitted in this case),  what we are to do and what we are to believe.

Since the Holy Spirit is often ignored and other spirits, diabolical ones, are often given credence the Roman Catholic Church is a mess.  There was a woman who approached me after mass.  She took umbrage at something I said.  (I only reiterate what the Church teaches.)  She was trying to work herself up into a frenzy by attempting to pick a fight with me.  It did not work.  She proceeded to tell me I should give this homily to the bishops and then she referred to the clergy sexual abuse issue. When I told her that I whole heartedly agreed with her it took some of the wind out of her sail.  Still trying to get me riled up she told me of the son of a friend of hers had been molested by a priest in Philadelphia. Try to picture her face when I told her that I was molested by a Philadelphia priest also, and if the archdiocese had acted appropriately on the first molestation report that they received about this priest then I would have never been molested. In a game of one-up-man-ship she then told me that this young man has been in and out of metal hospitals.  Of course I was in and out of the seminary, I know it is not the same thing but I think it is close.  I don’t know if what she said to me was true but it really does not matter.  What matters is that bishops behavior was wicked and really was/is throwing God’s words and law and commands to the wind.  That is what people see.

In large part that is why so many people who call themselves Catholic don’t believe what the Catholic Church teaches and don’t give a whit what bishops have to say.  People forget that moral authority does not come from these flawed or downright treacherous men but it comes from God. The saddest thing is that God can be  and has been ignored.