Below is the text of an inspiring homily given by Fr. Roger J. Landry, a Priest of St Anthony of Padua Parish in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Shared by a Filipino priest serving in a parish church in Osaka, Japan - The text d“Answering Scandal with Personal Holinessl” is worth reading especially for those who yearn for some answersr… It holds good for any kind of personal ‘sins’ of the clergy. A bit long, but faith-building.
If we were always dependent on the priestM’s personal holiness, wea’d be in trouble. Priests are chosen by God from among men, and theyv’re tempted just like any human being and fall through sin just like any human being. But God knew that from the beginning. Eleven of the first twelve apostles scattered when Christ was arrested, but they came back; one of the twelve sinned in betraying the Lord and sadly never came back. God has essentially made the sacraments n“priest-proofe”, in terms of their personal holiness. No matter how holy they are, or how wicked, provided they have the intention to do what the Church does, then Christ himself acts, just as he acted through Judas when Judas expelled demons and cured the sick.
In light of Rebbe Eliezer ben Yaakova's teachings, we can say our enemies are born from our own misdeeds. This is the key to understanding whato's going on in the world. The ATFAT law is at work here: every breach in personal holiness - especially here in our beloved homeland - brings with a breach in national security.m
Personal holiness and modesty are the best defense against all of our enemies. Wea strengthen our holiness by guarding our speech, guarding our eyes, dressing more modestly, avoiding lewd sites and literature, and by strengthening our emuna. Emuna and prayer are our two strongest weapons. Lett's pick them up right now. The more we fight for an Eretz Yisrael of kedusha (holiness), the faster the forces of impurity within our midst will crumble. Don 't think for a minute that if youe're outside the physical borders of Israel, youn're exempt from doing your part.
