I just read through Pope Francis’ Encyclical “Lumen Fidei,” which he admitted was primarily written by Pope Benedict, and I was immediately fascinated by the profound alliteration of the Faith, Knowledge, and Love in the Church; how it was passed on from the Old Testament to the present day; the importance of the Sacraments; and the significance of Truth as proof of Love. But, what I treasured the most was, after all the philosophy, the Holy Father ended with a rather simple, but beautiful, homage to the family:
In the family, faith accompanies every age of life, beginning with childhood: children learn to trust in the love of their parents. This is why it is so important that within their families parents encourage shared expressions of faith which can help children gradually to mature in their own faith. Young people in particular, who are going through a period in their lives which is so complex, rich and important for their faith, ought to feel the constant closeness and support of their families and the Church in their journey of faith.
This is ironic as just the other day; I watched a very moving documentary on the life of executed serial killer Aileen Wuornos. I totally got Wournos’ sad life: from her early immersion in perverse sexuality, later fall into promiscuity, overwhelming emotions of self-hate, but a need for acceptance and love, eventually leading to a narcissistic preoccupation with violence combined with a desire to dominate. The childhood of Wournos was horrendous: a broken home, abuse, neglect, abdonment, and oppression. Almost at the end of the film, just before her execution, the usually defiant Wuornos admitted that if she had come from an intact “decent” and “supportive” family she would have become an “outstanding citizen of America.” She said she would have liked to have been a “paramedic, police officer…a fire-department gal.” Strangely, I was reminded of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, who, though born into a intact home, with an often violent father, said later in life, that if it had not been for his vocation to the priesthood he would have become one of the greatest criminals in France. St. Therese was also self-admittedly indulgent and prone to tantrums before her conversion at 14. This all makes me wonder just how fine the line between evil and sanctity might actually be. For me, the answer lies with another Saint: Maria Goretti; and her murderer Alessandro Serenelli: http://www.josephsciambra.com/2013/04/alessandro-serenelli-patron-of-porn.htmlOne, the virginal and pious girl from a poor, but loving home, the other, a wayward and porn-addicted youth with an itinerant background. Occupying the same spot in the Universe, yet, so different. As the Holy Father made clear, all the philosophizing, which takes up most of the pages in his Encyclical, in the end, mean nothing if they fall on deaf ears. Unfortunately, every day, we are creating more people like Aileen Wuornos, souls who have been so brutalized and damaged, that the only way the Light of Truth can penetrate their brains is for a blast from Heaven, like the one that penetrated the cell of Alessandro, to mercifully fall down upon the Earth and give them one last chance. Can these children be saved? Yes. And, here is the answer from “Lumen Fidei:”
Teach us to see all things with the eyes of
Jesus, that he may be light for our path. And may
this light of faith always increase in us, until the
dawn of that undying day which is Christ himself, your Son, our Lord!
For, we can be the light-bearers of the Lord, shinning Love and Truth in the darkness of loneliness, abuse, and sin. No one is beyond help; no one is too far gone; as there is nothing the Lord cannot accomplish. Because, I think far too many people, especially those who claim to be Christian, take the easy way out. My dear friend Shelley Lubben, former prostitute and porn star, who frequently speak with religious groups, repeatedly testifies that, after years on the street, no one ever offered her help. In a busy world, it’s simpler to believe that – theymade the choice. Only, that denies the real power of evil, and the ultimate Saving Power of the Lord; to damn people before they are died. To those born into an abusive, or divided, or neglectful family: cannot the Family of Christ adopt them?