Many people have witnessed the evil scandals that rocked the Catholic Church, along with some corruption high up into the hierarchy. We condemn this evil and the priests or bishops associated with it. It is very sad and disheartening that wolves in sheep’s clothing, posing as our leaders, have failed us.

Many other religions like to conclude that since the Catholic Church has some corruption, then it cannot be the true Church of Jesus Christ. However, this logic does not follow. Moreover, both Jesus and Holy Scripture show us that while corrupt people in the church are evil, the Church itself is not.

Jesus Himself taught that there would be both good and bad people in his Church. St. Paul also foretold corruption being in the Church, even in the hierarchy. Not only did Jesus warn about good and evil in the Church, he taught us that it would  be this way until the end of time.

Why is this? Mostly because the devil hates God and all things associated with God. Therefore, Satan lives to attack the Church and destroy God’s people by any means. He will even use weak people within the church to attempt to do so.

In Matthew 13:24-30, we read about the parable of the weeds and the wheat:

It says that a man sowed good wheat in his field. This man is Jesus. While the men in charge of his field were sleeping (it doesn’t say that it was at night), an enemy came in and sowed weeds among the wheat so that the weeds and the wheat grew together. When the men in charge saw what had happened, they went to the owner who replied that an enemy had come in on their watch and did this. The men turned to the master and asked if they should uproot the weeds. The master said no, reminding them that if they remove the weeds, they may inadvertently pull up the wheat with it. He then commanded the workers to let both grow side by side until harvest where they will be separated. One will be gathered into a barn and the weeds will be gathered and burned.

Many scholars understand that in this passage, the weeds being spoken about are called Darnel, which is a poisonous type of weed which looks exactly like wheat in the beginning. However, as they both come to fruition, there becomes a clear and overt distinction between the two. That is why the master in this parable commands them to wait until harvest when all will be made right. The wheat will be kept and utilized while the weeds will be burned in fire.

The message is clear: there will always be good and bad people in the Church. The devil attacks the Church from without and from within. While the Church herself is holy, the people in it are not. Sometimes they choose evil instead of God. Moreover, just as the master put people in charge of the crops to guard them and bring them to fruition, so Jesus appointed leaders to guide and protect the Church too. Unfortunately, some of the appointed men in charge fell asleep and allowed evil to enter, or, became evil themselves.

Yet, Jesus promises us that the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Mt. 16:19). 1 Tim. 3:15 states that the Church is the pillar of truth. Thus, as we are about to see, just because there are bad (or some evil) people within the Church, it does not follow that the Church itself is false or untrue. After all, if Judas who was a liar, thief, and had Jesus murdered didn’t disprove the Church, then either do other bad clergy.

Through many periods of church history, leaders have successfully fought off evil. At other times, they failed. Even today in our modern era, we have allowed evil to infiltrate into the Church on a wide scale. There is corruption into highest levels in our Church.

On Judgement Day, the good and the bad will be separated, the former meriting their eternal reward while the latter will merit eternal damnation in hell. Just as the weeds will be gathered and burned, so will those people who have chosen evil, even more so for clergy.

The devil attacks us too, and we are all guilty of evil from: pornography, to sex outside of marriage, contraception, drugs, alcohol, worshiping our work or career, gossip, slander, cheating on taxes, lying, stealing, and many other things.

Reforming the Church!

Do you know why the saints changed and reformed the Church? It is because they were holy. Do you know why Martin Luther did not reform the church or anything at all? Because he was not holy. He let his inner demons get the best of him. He had a temper, drank, had major scrupulosity, and other things. Luther began with good intentions, but he was not the man for the job. When he witnessed corruption, it only made him angry, bitter, and ultimately, led him to fight in an unholy way, eventually inventing new doctrines and hating Catholicism.

Conversely, saints like St. Francis de Sales (who we have a video on), Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross and many others ran into the same corruption and problems that Luther did. However, because of their holiness of life, they changed the world around them. They did not get angry, bitter, or devolve into resentment or hate. Rather, they prayed more, fasted more, did penance, and God worked powerfully through them. They trusted God and respected the authority of the Church. Ultimately, they ended up reforming the Church after the Protestant revolt. St. Francis de Sales alone converted 60,000 Calvinists back to Catholicism because that’s how powerfully holy his life was. 60,000!!

There are too many weeds in the clergy, in the hierarchy, and even in the Curia. It’s frustrating to witness people who have sworn to serve God and have chose instead to the devil, serving the Master of Puppets. They are indeed who St. Paul talks about, “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” They are weeds who look like wheat, but this poisonous Darnel weed referred to in Scripture hurts and destroys the wheat around it.

What about us? Are we like the Saints? Or, are we like Luther when approaching the corruption in the Church? Are we angry, bitter, yelling, screaming, condemning and making no progress with anything? Or, are we shining Christ’s light into the world, praying, fasting, and letting God guide us?

We must always remember that Christ, not a man, is the head of our Church. Consequently, we should never leave the Church because of a man, or woman, or people in general who fail to (or choose not to) live the faith. The Church is not identified by the people who don’t live their faith and fail to, but by those who do.

Remember, we the Church is not judged by those who fail to live it, who say the love Christ but live for the devil, but rather, by those who do live it, the faithful ones of God.

Pray for the Church and the clergy. Remember that St. Paul was a murderer before becoming a Christian, and Jesus made him one of the greatest apostles. Remember Judas was a liar, a thief, and a betrayer all while being a disciple. Peter betrayed Christ. King David committed adultery and killed a man. The list goes on.

There have been bad popes in history and there probably will be again, but this should not affect our faith. Jesus is in charge of His church. If we reach Judgment Day and God states, “Why did you leave the Church my Son Jesus started? Why didn’t you receive the supreme gift I gave you in the Eucharist?”

You may reply, “Lord, there were too many hypocrites in Church. Bad people my Lord.”

God may respond; “What does that have to do with you and me? Why did you let them affect your faith?

On Judgment Day, It will be between you and God, no one else. Jesus said that unless you receive his flesh and blood in the Eucharist you have no life in you.

Don’t leave the faith. Don’t leave the Church. The Church is the body of Christ, and we cannot leave the body without leaving Christ, the head of the church.

Yet, Jesus started the Catholic Church with the fullness of truth and the promise to guide us faithfully into all truth. It has the holy saints, the Eucharist and the Sacraments, and blessed assurance that the Gates of Hell will not prevail.