I Once Caught a Wolf

As a priest I have heard many stories about crazy things that have happened in the church. The most startling ones, however, are the ones where someone who is supposed to be a cradle Catholic says or does something that is completely contrary to the faith and they seem to have no sense of the immorality of their actions. As I mentioned yesterday, I believe they know exactly what they are doing, but they hide it to make it more influential on those who are weak in their faith.

Years ago a man joined St. George parish whom I felt did not really understand our traditions. I wanted to give him time to grow into things though, so I did not question his motives (at first). Then one day he openly and proudly, in front of many people (including a few children) talked about how his girlfriend was moving in with him (there was a day when no one would cross that line of scandal in the church!). I pulled him aside and spoke to him about it and told him that was a grave sin. He did not look offended, he looked caught. It was as though he realized I was not going to ignore it. He left the parish, and I never saw him again. What harm might he have caused if I had done nothing?

We may not always be able to determine who the "wolves in sheep's clothing" actually are. Nor is it certain that we would even know how to respond to it if we did discover it. Knowing, however, that it does happen, and that we may even encounter it is important. It helps us to cope with it because it is vital for our faith to handle things like this rightly. To be betrayed by a brother is harder and hurts more than to be attacked by an enemy; if we ignore that there are "non-brothers" seeking to tear us down, we will be torn down more easily. Knowing that the Church has dealt with it before, and survived--and that we can do the same--makes a great difference in us being able to keep hope.

Will there be another who "sneaks in unawares"? Likely there will (they are usually easy to spot--they sin boldly). Will we be able to cope with it? Not if we let our guard down. We need to love our brothers, encourage them to faithfulness, and recognize that anyone can fall. In the passage I quoted yesterday from St. Jude, he also had this to say:

"beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And convince some, who doubt; save some, by snatching them out of the fire; on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh."