POWIP Piece of Work In Progress

Fr John Corapi & the Judas Ratio

For years & years, I have loved Father John Corapi. He represents to me something sorely lacking (in my experience) in the Church. Namely, a priest with adequate testosterone. This is no small matter, as many of us middle-aged men find it easier to relate to a priest who we know actually knows something of the carnal struggles we face. That is, when we see ourselves in another, we find the argument & Teaching easier to consume.

Father John Corapi, for those who may not know him, was/is a very significant talent. He had/has all of the right skills and has had a terrific impact on the Spiritual Lives of many of us Catholic Pilgrims. He was/is an impressive orator, possesses an incredible mind and is an impressive theologian.

But perhaps the most impressive aspect of Father John Corapi was that he appeared a modern day St. Augustine of Hippo. One who knew sin and all of her empty promises. One who lived like a pagan and bathed in the false pleasures of our present temporal station until his Conversion. Nothing remarkable about his temptations: drugs and women. It's an old story indeed.

But Father John represented to many of us more than just a man we could relate to. Here was a man who had his moment in the garden. A man pursued by the "Hounds of Heaven". A man whose Monica was, as it were, the Virgin Herself.

What this means is that in Father John, we saw a man who appeared to have done what Christ implores all of us to do: namely, turn away from sin and embrace our Cross(es) and slog on the Pilgrim's Road for the Christ.

That is, in Father John we saw ourselves (only better). We saw someone living the faith. We saw someone unashamed to achieve to the Higher Self through a fiery devotion to Our Lord. We saw a man of love, peace, fortitude, courage, charity... a man of God. We saw our potential.

Today marks an incredibly sad day for the Church, in that...

"Father John Corapi’s religious order has found him guilty of substance abuse, sexual activity and violating his promise of poverty. A July 5 press release from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) said that while Fr. Corapi was involved in public ministry he had “sexual relations and years of cohabitation with a woman known to him, when the relationship began, as a prostitute.” MORE

I, along with perhaps millions of the Faithful are heartbroken.

In perusing the comments to this story on FB, we see mostly disbelief and resigned sadness. One could even say mourning for this man.

But we also see the typical bashing we have grown to expect. Of those voices, we see the juvenile tauntings  and cries of "hypocrite".

I have treated at length on this topic here before. Only last Ash Wednesday I posted this here on the topic of our claim as Hypocrite:

I will say it again for the benefit of all of my brothers and sisters in Christ. We are necessarily Hypocrites! We are to be Fools for Christ! The bar is necessarily high… and perfection will not be ours on this Pilgrim’s Road. We will necessarily fall short. End up in the woods. We will be lured away from the path. We will fall in the mud, beaten and bloodied. We will be left for dead. We will be surprised when a strange Samaritan (of all things) picks us up and delivers us from our doom.  We are in fact, all of us, in a distant country. We are, in fact, all of us, spending our inheritance on whores. During Lent, we are reminded to identify our faults, our imperfections, our rebellions, our sins, our darkened minds, our injured and hardened hearts… and to orient ourselves toward the Father’s Estate.

The story of Fr. John Corapi is nothing new. In fact, it is as old as the Faith. As old as the Church. We should not be stunned by stories such as these. From the beginning of Christ's Church here on Earth, Judas has been with us. St. Paul himself warns us against the spirit of Judas. St. Augustine, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Faustina, JPII - all of these and all men and women religious worth their salt have warned, have lamented, and continue to draw our attentions to corruption in the Church... and yes, even Fr. Corapi, has spoken at great length about the dangers of concupiscence. In fact, they each struggled, as we are called to do, to sublimate our lower passions.

As I have postulated for years here on POWIP, there is a Judas Ratio.

The Judas Ratio can be thought to be the 8% (1/12) of any demographic segment (whether professional or otherwise) that can be expected to be complete scoundrels.

The concept originated with my father, Dan Sr., who postulated the thought to explain the “radical priests” during the pedophilia outing that occurred some years back. He said something along these lines: “If the Master Himself had one among his group who would sell Him and his own soul for a bag of cash, isn’t it likely the rest of us will have to suffer the same?” That goes for the Church, our schools, our bureaucrats, our politicians, our businesses (managers and employees alike), our neighbors, our family members, et cetera.

I think there is something to this Judas Ratio business. It may be that some of the 8% are never found out, while others are eventually dis-covered. But, nonetheless, I think it holds.

Let us Hypocrites acknowledge it and be on guard - vigilant. Will we deny Him like Peter? Yes. Will we condemn Him as Pilate? Yes. Will we betray Him with a Kiss? Yes. And in fact, we have done this and more to the Eternally crucified Christ.

This is why we Christians commemorate this Day and are called to contemplate not only The Death of Our Lord – in all of its very human ugliness – but also embrace our guilt in the astroturfing of the Christ. Who put Him to death? Why, we did. Each and every one of us. We betray Him, accuse Him, arrest Him, flog Him, spit upon Him, and yes, we nail Him to the Cross each and every day. We are Judas, Peter, Pilate, all of us. And if we are Blessed, we are the thief who asks the Godman to be remembered. We are the Roman Guard whose spirit is quaked and recognizes that Jesus was/is “truly the Son of God.” MORE

Let us pray that Father John petitions for Mercy and Forgiveness and Healing. Let us pray he does not, in fact, become a charismatic for the Forces of Evil... but instead embraces his Cross and makes his way to Calvary... in Faith, becoming a Saint as he is called to be (as we all are).

Let him comply, knuckle-down, and give up his rebellious spirit...

Petition St. Michael to come to his aid. Petition the Virgin to comfort him. Petition God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit to rush to his aid.

May he be healed. And should he be, perhaps I will celebrate him even more for overcoming his depravity appropriately... that is kneeling at the foot of the most holy and bloody Cross.

Father John Corapi is all of us... hypocrite, sinner, diseased... he is all of us and we are him.

I beg for your prayers! For Fr John, for me, for you, for all of us Judases, Pilates, Pharisees...

None of us is worthy. None of us.

Father John has made significant contributions to the Kingdom, the City of God. Now perhaps God has greater things in store for him. Perhaps like watching PJII persevere while his body betrayed him... perhaps we will witness a human get back on the Pilgrim's Road. Bloodied, beaten... but determined.

God help us all.