The internet buzzed after the U.S. bishops consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Orlando on Thursday. June 11. Catholic news outlets and bloggers mostly raved enthusiastically, while the secular media propagated slightly more restrained summaries. Even President Trump weighed in, saying the action was a “poignant reminder that America has always been guided by the loving hand of God.”
Kudos to the bishops for turning to God for help in troubling times for this nation. But we would do well to consider the many places in Scripture where the prayers of those who ignore the basic demands of justice are not heard by a Lord who hears the cries of the marginalized and forgotten. We read in Isaiah, for example, that those who tolerate hypocrisy and enable injustice will not have their prayers heard, even though they “may make many prayers” (Isa 1:15). The Book of Proverbs assures us that while the prayers of the righteous are heard, the outlook isn’t so positive to those that aren’t (Prov 15:29). In fact, we are told in the same book that “if one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination” (Prov 28:9).
Relevant here are the exceptionally modest changes made in Orlando to the so-called Dallas Charter, that statement of purpose the bishops first adopted in 2002 as the worldwide clerical sexual abuse scandal broke. The bishops have been on notice for years that the way in which the Charter has been implemented in many dioceses has caused many faithful, hard-working, rank-and-file priests to lose faith in the bishops’ leadership.
The crippling chasm between priests and bishops in this country is even more tragic because there are so many good men on either side, with a straightforward solution in easy reach. And yet here we are.
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