A HEALTHY PASTORAL THEOLOGY THAT IS PRIVATE, SAFE AND THE LESSER OF EVILS…A PASTORAL THEOLOGY THAT IS AN ART AND NEVER LIFTED TO A DOCTRINE OR DOGMA

Many of you may remember the late Fr. Benedict Groeschel. Before he died, each year at this time of year  Seton Hall University provided a priests’ workshop in Palm Beach, Florida at the Vincentian Monastery there. Priests flocked there to escape the cold weather in other places. Fr. Benedict was always the keynote speaker and offered many sessions. 

Fr..Groeschel was a great and entertaining teacher of the Catholic Faith. He was extremely pastoral, understood the human situation but clear in presenting the Catholic Church’s faith and morals for complex situations. He was orthodox to say the least.

However, I remember one presentation he gave where he used the example of a young man he had been counseling. This man had suffered tremendous sexual abuse as a child and teenager. He had same sex attraction and as a result of his horrible abuse, had become very promiscuous to an unbelievable level. 

The young man was Catholic and believed in God as the Church teaches, but he suffered from sexual addiction and compulsions. 

Fr. Groeschel went on to say that the young man had become very close friends with another man and because of the love that was shown to him and the stability that this man brought to his life, that he was able to overcome his sexual compulsions and addictions that resulted in an extremely promiscuous life. 

Fr. Groeschel counseled us priests that we need to be careful with parishioners of this type and not place burdens on them that could crush them and lead them back to a more disordered life. While this person and his partner were in a sinful relationship, it, nonetheless, has brought maturity to the individual who was in such dire moral straits. His moral life had improved although still sinful or irregular. 

Fr. Groeschel certainly would not have blessed these two as a couple, but certainly would offered each of them individual blessings and would have prayed for their continuing sexual maturity and conversion. 

Most priests and bishops don’t need the Vatican telling us to offer blessing to couples living in sin; but before FS, most of us priests were and are pastoral, compassionate and would offer personal prayers and individual blessings to people in need of God’s love and mercy. 

Fr. Groeschel was a great example of orthodoxy and true pastoral sensitivity. He was always clear and coherent in his teachings while pastoral and understanding of human nature and its disorders of whatever type.