This summer marks the two year anniversary of the “summer of shame” when the archdiocese of New York revealed in June 2018 that the then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick had been credibly accused of a sexual abuse of a minor. I was ordained last year as a priest, when the Holy Mother Church was still recovering from the sexual abuse scandal. After the “summer of shame,” there followed the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report alleging decades of abuse by hundreds of priests. State investigations in New York and New Jersey lead to the payout of $27.5 million in the New York Diocese of Brooklyn and this was followed by the long list of scandals.
When we were ordained as priests last year, we (the newly ordained priests) were facing two sets of challenges. First, we would have to face the challenge of keeping our physical bodies incorruptible because our bodies are the Temples of the Holy Spirit and we were getting ready to fight against the evil spirit that constantly wants to destroy our bodies as the Temple of Spirit and Truth. Second, we were also facing a challenge from people who were putting high expectations on us to be good priests. But, as we were ordained on the eve of Pentecost 2019, we were quite optimistic that the Holy Spirit would enlighten our souls and sanctify our bodies. The gift of the Holy Spirit helps us all to fix our eyes upon Jesus Christ as our savior.
After my ordination, I realized that the issue facing the Catholic Church in the United States is far more complex than the sexual abuse scandal. For instance, in my early days of priestly ministry, two ladies came to me after the mass and said, ”Father, your mass is very traditional and I can sense the Tridentine element in your mass.” What I did was celebrate the Novus Ordo Mass of Paul VI as I was trained in my theological studies at Boston College. I was shocked to hear this comment because I did not realize how low the bar was for a proper liturgy among the parishioners. I would never imagine that a proper Novus Ordo mass would be considered an extraordinary form of mass.
As I was still struggling to navigate my young priesthood, the coronavirus outbreak came and shuttered the life of the Church. The public mass was suspended as well as many of the other sacraments. This summer, I was supposed to assist in my first sacrament of matrimony, but it was cancelled. Is there any hope? Where can I find new inspiration in my young priesthood? Where can we all find any confidence in the Church?
First, I think that we can find inspiration from the “Flying Scotsman,” Eric Liddle, a Scottish Olympic Gold Medalist runner who became a missionary in China. Liddell’s Olympic training and racing and the religious convictions that influenced him are depicted in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. The original phrase “chariot(s) of fire” is from today’s scripture reading, 2 Kings 2:11 and 6:17. Upon winning the God medal at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, Liddel went to Northern China to serve as a missionary. He served in the Hebei Province, an extremely poor area that had suffered during the country’s civil wars and had become a dangerous battleground between China and the invading Japanese army. In 1941, when life in China had become dangerous due to Japanese aggression, the British government advised British nationals to leave, but Liddle chose to stay. Finally, he died on February 21, 1945 because of overwork and malnourishment. According to a fellow missionary, Liddell’s last words were, “It’s complete surrender”, in reference to how he had given his life to God.
Second, Prophet Elijah, who is the protagonist in today’s scripture, is also a great inspiration. The first appearance of Elijah was in the 17th chapter of 1st Kings, when he came before the king and said, “As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” Elijah had demonstrated courage before Ahab in the king’s palace and on Mount Carmel. He had also witnessed God’s abundant generosity with the widow in Zarephath in the years of famine, in the fire from heaven that consumed the sacrifice, in the coming of the rain, and in the ability to outrun Ahab to Jezreel. Nevertheless, he experienced fear and discouragement when he faced the threat of Jezebel. He ran away and hid in a desolate place. Therefore, Elijah was completely dependent upon the Lord for his sustenance. But the Lord was not done with Elijah and his failure did not mean defeat or an end to his ministry. Against the backdrop of Elijah’s failure, God showed his gracious work to restore the prophet back to his ministry through his Providence.