The oak tree fallen, the Catholic Church

My heart goes out to the senior Catholics that just want to end their lives with a traditional funeral for the family to grief at and have an expression of the importance of their lives.  The rules of the church were not always easy for them, the demands were many and emotional ties were even stronger.  Now it seems there has been a major betrayal, yet another one. The core of the Catholic Church has been rotten for decades and the last week it the exposure of it reaching the center, the Vatican.

Like a giant oak tree that looked fine on the surface, storm by storm, country by country, the weakness of the tree has been revealed.   The word Irish meant Catholic.  The parish school meant quality education.  Large family meant living according to the teaching of the church.   Priest meant holy man, leader of the community.  Pope meant respected as a Christ like figure.  The core of decay has been opening displayed in the last month and yesterday the details of the Legion of Christ were details of evil organized.

It seems now, much of the Catholic Church was an illusion.

People like my parents with the struggles of raising ten children so they will be worthy member of the Catholic Church, were used by the hierarchy just to produce more members much like some other religions still practice today.   Children were not valued or not one pedophile would have been protected in the organization.  No man of God does these things to children.  Nuns were not respected or they will not have allowed them to live out their lives in poverty.  Criminals were protected within the institution of dioceses and religious orders.  It was system well developed and practiced for years.

It has been nothing more than an old boys club.  Sad.

On a trip to Europe while visiting the Vatican, I got the overwhelming feeling of the grandness of the place.  The late afternoon light came in and I remembered the genius of Michelangelo.  The space, the scope, the history of the place.  That is when, I remembered all the other palaces I have just recently seen and thought, this is nothing more than the site of another royal residence.   The power of another royal house, this is an European institution with a power center.  It is about power and little about the revolution of the word of Jesus.

It takes a long journey for someone, my age, to break free from all the emotional ties to a Catholic childhood. I miss the after smell of incense in a quiet church or the light coming though tall narrow window or the hymns of Latin liturgy.   I remember the noise of the large rosaries on the hips of the nuns and some real love and concern they shown me over my childhood.

But what really does any of this have to do with the teaching of Jesus Christ?

• Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
• Blessed are the meek: for they shall posses the land. 
• Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. 
• Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice : for they shall have their fill. 
• Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 
• Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. 
• Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
• Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  

Gucci Shoes and designer sunglasses wore by the Pope symbolizes the distance from Beatitudes and message of Christ, this man is far from the teaching of Jesus.