{"id":2496,"date":"2012-08-31T13:10:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-31T13:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2012\/08\/fr-benedict-groeschel-demonstrates-why-as-a-catholic-i-cut-people-slack.html"},"modified":"2012-08-31T13:10:00","modified_gmt":"2012-08-31T13:10:00","slug":"fr-benedict-groeschel-demonstrates-why-as-a-catholic-i-cut-people-slack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2012\/08\/fr-benedict-groeschel-demonstrates-why-as-a-catholic-i-cut-people-slack.html","title":{"rendered":"Fr. Benedict Groeschel demonstrates why as a Catholic I cut people slack"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Because you find out by perusing the news that a well respected and well liked member of the Catholic Clergy has come out and suggested that abuse victims might sometimes be the seducers<\/a>.\u00a0 Well, you can imagine what this will look like to half of the Catholics in the world, and just about everyone else. <\/p>\n

Me?\u00a0 Given his age, I\u2019m willing to cut him some slack.\u00a0 I also realize he simply may be trying to examine the complexities of the topic at hand, rather than following the post-modern tendency of wanting to reduce all topics of discussion to a Tweet.\u00a0 But that\u2019s me.\u00a0 Unless a person makes it clear he stands for evil, or she celebrates that which is ungodly, I\u2019m willing to allow for more than a few second chances. I\u2019m certainly not going to take the witness of a friend, relative, or third cousin twice removed that this or that person is a filthy, rotten person.\u00a0 Nor am I going to limit this to folks I like.\u00a0 I\u2019ll even go so far as to avoid assuming all lawyers, politicians or car salesmen are liars.\u00a0 I\u2019ll try to assume the best take on what people say, and give them a second chance when they may have spoken wrong. <\/p>\n

Why?\u00a0 Because there is no optional section in the Catechism.\u00a0 Sometimes if you buy a game, there will be an \u2018optional section.\u2019\u00a0 This is for extra rules that might make the game more challenging, but you need not use them.\u00a0 There isn\u2019t a section in the Catechism that says \u2018optional rules.\u2019\u00a0 So when you see Catholics arguing that the Catechism clearly says lying is wrong, or abortion is wrong, or we should help the widow and the orphan, look a little closer and you will notice this section in the non-optional\u00a0teachings part:<\/p>\n

\u201cTo avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor\u2019s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way: <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em>\n
Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another\u2019s statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved.\u201d<\/em> <\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

You see that?\u00a0 It looks like a good teaching to live by. I know that in the world of talk shows, talk radio, cable news, and the Internet, it isn\u2019t as fun.<\/span>\u00a0 But still, I think it works, even when it doesn\u2019t help us win an argument or make those other people over there look bad.\u00a0 Because after all, some day it might be someone in our own little circle of \u2018people I think are cool and hip\u2019 who puts foot in mouth or says something that could be used against him (and us).\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Because you find out by perusing the news that a well respected and well liked member of the Catholic Clergy has come out and suggested that abuse victims might sometimes be the seducers.\u00a0 Well, you can imagine what this will look like to half of the Catholics in the world, and just about everyone else. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2805,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFr. 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