A few weeks ago I announced that for reasons of my own I was considering letting my subscription to Crisis lapse. It was prior to the revelation of the scandal.
Now the scandal has broken and it has added fuel to the fire of thought.
And the vitriol noted by TSO in various places about blogdom has spurred me to reconsider. I might not read it at all. I may just donate it to my Parish Church (which seems desperately in need of some enlightenment.) But Mr. Hudson's exemplary conduct in the face of a revelation that should have remained a private matter, has inspired me. I do not know all of the details. I know what I read from Mr. Hudson, and while I suppose it was necessary given the public nature of the revelation, even that was too much for me. However, it was what he chose to do. And in my estimation, he chose correctly. We are all sinners. He owes me no apology. The persons deserving an apology long-ago received one--he owed me nothing except a visit to the confessional, which I will believe he did as a matter of course. I have no claim to anything from Mr. Hudson. But his courage is inspirational.
So even if I don't read the magazine, I will probably renew my subscription as a way of saying thank you for a Christian witness in a world sadly lacking in such.
Bully for you Steven!
Beautiful!
Steven, excellent post. Thank you.
I worry about Catholics who find themselves wallowing, as it were, in the sins and failings of others. This cannot be healthy for anybody!
“So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love…Immorality or any impurity (Douay-Rheims “fornication”)…must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones…Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Eph. 5:1-3; Phil 4:8)
Of course, when duty requires me to address wrongdoing, and to "put a bit of stick about" as the English say, then at those times, Yes! By all means, I must do so! But unless Almighty God has put me directly in the wrongdoer's picture frame, why would I want to step into it? That can't be a wise or a good thing to do.
I think you and I (and a few...very few others) are in accord on this. Thank you.
I must say Crisis does have interesting articles (the title is misleading, since it covers not just the current moral 'crisis' of the moment but a broad range of topics . . . Robert R. Reilly's articles on classical music, for instance, or the regular columns by Fr. Rutler and James V. Schall are ones I look forward to -- so do crack it open before cementing your decision "not to read it at all." ;-)
At any rate, an excellent decision and a good character lesson for those fond of casting stones.