Sorrow

It is very problematic when we are trying not to cause offence or actually state the truth in black and white.

Judas Iscariot Betrays Jesus (Ajarven Rose)

My children attend a Catholic school.  It is a nice enough school.  Like all schools, it is imperfect, but on the whole, my children are happy at school and the school does a reasonable job of dealing with my children and all the children.

I do have one criticism of the school – and most schools these days.  And the criticism is this…  In order not to give offence to anyone, the teachers in the school very often refrain from providing any real direction on serious matters of faith.

Now, I am certainly an imperfect person.  I am sinful and hypocritical and have many, many things that I think, say and do that offend God.  However, I am also a person who understands that the most important role of an adult is to provide children with the rules – which we would also be able to call the TRUTH.

And this becomes very problematic when we are trying not to cause offence or actually state the truth in black and white.

I think the clearest example of this is the debate around gender identity.  Our biological sex is determined at conception.  Our chromosomes mark us with characteristics that make us male or female.  Now, I might be a female with masculine tendencies, or a male with feminine tendencies.  I might even be a female who is not sexually attracted to males or a male who is not sexually attracted to females, but this does not actually mean that I am not a female or a male.  All this means is that I am a female who has masculine tendencies or who is not attracted sexually to males (or vice versa).

And recognising this as truth – as an irrefutable biological (not spiritual or moral) FACT means that I am able to understand the importance to communicating that – even thought it might be difficult for people to hear, or it might be counter cultural or it might just be a scary thing to do.

Saint Josemaria warned that “There is a great love of comfort, and at times a great irresponsibility, hidden behind the attitude of those in authority who flee from the sorrow of correcting, making the excuse that they want to avoid the suffering of others. They may perhaps save themselves some discomfort in this life. But they are gambling with eternal happiness - the eternal happiness of others as well as their own - by these omissions of theirs. These omissions are real sins.” (“The Forge”, at 577).

And I have been thinking about that – the nature of such sins as these, wheher it is so much easier to omit rather than to approach.  And I am quite overcome.  For I have done this all my life – running from the sorrow towards comfort.  And when I think of the danger of that – as I watch my children grow – I am quite overcome by how much harm that can cause…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.