Saturday 3 October 2009

On the fall of Bishop Lahey

   As reported by the Catholic Register, Oct 1, 2009: OTTAWA - Antigonish  Bishop Raymond J. Lahey turned himself in to Ottawa police Oct. 1 to face charges of possession and importation of child pornography.





The mystics tell us that each of us chose the lives we live before we are born. Even though we may not consciously remember making that choice. What is important however, is that our choice, regardless of the outcome, is lived out to fulfill God’s ultimate plan to perfection. So why would we chose darkness? Again, the mystics tell us that without darkness we would not appreciate the Light that the Creator continually sends forth among us. The choice is ours.



The recent fall of Bishop Raymond J. Lahey was therefore no accident, and it is WE that need to learn from it. To help us to put this situation in its proper context, we might benefit from the following Kabbalistic teaching:



It is heartening to realize that the most negative situations invariably hold the greatest promise for positive growth, for ours is a world of exquisite balance. Therefore, the ultimate darkness is inherently transformable into the brightest of Light.




Each of us is born with the power to transform our nature completely and to achieve a personal state of [the Christ] within. Instead of experiencing guilt or shame- or even worse, apathy-as a consequence of our negative actions, we should be inspired by the opportunity to reshape our soul into the greatest [receptacle] for the Light [of God].



The events and circumstances that brought Bishop Lahey to this point will have to remain an mystery. However, we all share his ‘brokenness’ in one way or another. In a world of pain and suffering there is no scale which measures which ‘sin’ is greater than another. Neither are there any exceptions. Sexual deviations have been with us since time first began. But now is the time for all of us, especially the Church, to exercise Christ’s compassion and understanding. Perhaps we could begin by asking ourselves why we are faced with a pandemic of sexual abuse among the clergy? And, what is it saying about us as members of the world community? Is it perhaps time to bring Light to the situation, free of condemnation and full of compassion? For the Church, and all of us, It is time to explore a healthier approach to our God given sexuality! The Light is among us, we no longer need to hide in darkness.

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