This afternoon, I turned on the television to a story on CNN regarding the recent news of the sexual abuse scandals and the concept of priestly celibacy. The person being interviewed said that the requirement for celibacy should be lifted because it would end the issue of sexual abuse by clergy and the number of homosexual priests that are in active ministry. The last claim is totally unfounded–there were no sources for the numbers they were reporting. So I decided that I would go on to Rick Sanchez’s blog (CNN anchor at the time) and leave a comment describing what celibacy is, in the view of someone discerning the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

Here is the full extent of my comments:

As someone discerning the priesthood of Jesus Christ, I view celibacy not as a sacrifice; rather, I view celibacy as a gift. Celibacy is a way to make the Kingdom of God present here on earth. If you read Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, you will see that those who choose celibacy for the kingdom share the same vocations to love as those who marry, but manifest this same vocation in a different manner. Furthermore, celibacy is not a rejection of sexuality, but a living out of the deepest meaning of sexuality–union with Christ and his Church (Ephesians 5:31-32).

Celibacy is not the reason for the abuse scandals that have occurred in the Catholic Church over the years. If it was, why do cases of pedophilia and other sexual acts of misconduct occur in churches where celibacy is not a requirement for pastoral ministry?

Over the last few decades, major changes have been made to the application process of becoming a seminarian to discern the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Now, ALL candidates must take an intense psychological evaluation. After an extensive interview process, then members of the diocesan vocations committee decide on either accepting or denying the candidate.

Yesterday, Palm Sunday, marked the beginning of the holiest week in the Christian calendar. As Catholics, this year we will seem to be walking even closer to Christ than usual as a result of the recent developments out of Europe and the media’s attack on the Catholic Church.

Holy Week is time when Catholics worldwide feel the pain of dying in Christ.

It comes this year as media reports bring up heartrending, often previously published, stories with a new twist – how the Vatican handled the cases. Efforts to link stories to culpable inaction by Pope Benedict XVI cause reasonable people anguish given all that the pope has tried to do to address this crisis…

For many, the emphasis of Holy Week is on Good Friday, a day that’s good not because Jesus died a terrible death that day, but because the death led to His subsequent resurrection. It holds deep meaning for Catholics now who seek meaning from the tragedy of pedophilia.

Pedophilia has had terrible effect on many and reminds us of sinful humanity than is around us and within us. It has made a long Good Friday for many, especially those victimized by this sin and crime. But as the church has learned while dealing with these wounds, as it did with the crucifixion of Jesus, the pain can lead to a church purified of sin.

A very good morning to all of you! Today, I hit the road for Orlando to spend Holy Week with the family, with my parish community, and with the Diocese. As we come to this last week before the celebration of Easter, let us remember why God sent us his only Son. May we continually see the work the Lord is doing in our lives and turn to him with total trust, confidence and faith.

PHOTO SOURCE: Vultus Christi

This past weekend, members of the House of Representatives narrowly passed the Health Care Reform (HCR) Bill. Even before the bill was passed, the stance of the people was being heard around the country, many of whom were in opposition to the landmark legislation. However, some of those who opposed the bill took to name calling and slander; members of Congress who were in support of the bill were being called dehumanizing names. After the bill was passed, the jeering and name calling erupted into instances of violence. Many people who were opposed to the legislation and upset with its passage began making death threats to our elected representatives, throwing bricks through windows of district offices of the representatives and protesting outside the homes of the family members of the representatives.

Shortly after President Obama signed the legislation into law on Wednesday, I made the following statement on my Twitter page because I was completely dumbfounded that Americans had stooped to this level of immaturity: “People have been sending death threats to those in Congress who voted for the HCR bill?!?!? Needs to stop!!!” When did we begin viewing our fellow Americans, our brothers and sisters in Christ, as enemies. Well, I was not the only one experiencing that disappointment in my fellow Americans.

Although the health care reform bill has been the main news maker in the United States over the past several weeks, we need not to forget about what the Church is doing in Haiti in response to the devastating earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010. Today, the USCCB Media Blog updated us on what the church in the United States is doing in the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from Catholics across the U.S. in response to the needs of earthquake survivors in Haiti. So far, the special collection from U.S. dioceses raised over $55 million for emergency help, and other contributions have brought in an additional $50 million. The USCCB Subcommittee for the Church in Latin America is partnering with CRS in the response. CRS is focusing now on rebuilding efforts—such as moving people from makeshift camps to temporary housing as the rainy station draws near—while the Bishops’ Advisory Group for Haiti of the Church in Latin America Committee will help rebuild the Church’s fabric and infrastructure in the Caribbean nation. This video shows how CRS put those donations to action in the days immediately following the quake.