THOUGHT FOR TODAY

"Hurting Child"

In the middle of the night,
No one heard the boy
Who cried himself to sleep
Didn't care about himself cuz he
Hurt too much, he was hurt too much
And the burden of the world was put
On a hurting child, hurting child
Who never smiled
The world was put on the hurting child,
Hurting child
I sing for the hurting child
I sing for the hurting child

In the middle of the fight
No one saw the girl who thought it
Was her fault, didnt know about her pain
Though it was right there
No one said they cared
And the burden of the world was put
On a hurting child, hurting child
Who never smiled
The world was put on the hurting child,
Hurting child
I sing for the hurting child

I sing for the children, dream for the children,
Cry for the children now
So I sing for the children, dream for the children,
Smile for the children now
Said the world was put
On a hurting child, hurting child
Who never smiled
The world was put on the hurting child,
Hurting child
I sing for the hurting child

I sing for the children, dream for the children,
Cry for the children now
So I sing for the children, dream for the children,
Smile for the children
...I was that hurting child

PUT THE HEALING STONE SOMEWHERE PROMINENT

The Catholic Church in Ireland unveiled what they call a “HEALING STONE” at their Eucharistic Congress in Dublin last week to honour all the children abused in Ireland by priests, nuns and Christian Brothers.

Now they are proposing to situate that healing stone on Lough Derg – the penitential island belonging to the Church!

How will a piece of Wicklow granite heal all the abused? Has Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin “blessed” it and given it magical powers to heal the abused who touch or kiss it – in humility and thanksgiving of course!

Or has Pope Benedict attached a plenary indulgence to the stone that will insure that all abuse victims will not have to do Purgatory when they die if they visit it on the feast day of Saint John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, kiss the stone 500 times and say a thousand Our Fathers and a thousand Hail Marys?

The problem with that is that most victims have already spent decades in “hell” – which is a much worse place than Benedict and Diarmuid’s Purgatory – at least according to that wonderful book The Catechism of The Catholic Church!

Benedict! Diarmuid and Papal Nuncio – your big piece of Wicklow granite with its pathetic little prayer on it is meaningless – in fact it’s less than meaningless and is an insult.

And why put it on an island in the middle of nowhere where very few will ever see it?

Why not put it outside your headquarters at Maynnoth just outside Dublin?

Why not put it outside Dublin’s Pro Cathedral in Dublin city centre?

Or outside the Papal Nuncios palace in Dublin 7?

Or even in the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin?

And instead of a pathetic little prayer who not carve the names of all the abusers on the one side of the stone and carve the names of all the bishops and religious superiors who covered up the abuse on the other side.

That might make your Healing Stone a bit more meaningful and show us that you are truly sorry for all the abuse and also show us, by the stone’s prominence and honesty that you do not really want to forget all the abuse and cover up” What about that Dairmuid? What about that Benedict? What about that Nuncio? 

What about that your Eminences, Graces, Lordships, Very Reverends, Reverends, Brothers and Sisters?

Bishop Pat Buckley

19/06/2012