Brother Lawrence returns with Fr. Mark-Mary after telling his story, and this time they talk about understanding the authority of the Catholic Church.
Coming from an evangelical background actually helped Brother Lawrence understand how leaders can be broken. Nonetheless, when you find out about the sins of someone you look up to, that doesn’t invalidate the good you’ve experienced through them. God can use imperfect people to accomplish his work. In fact, there is no other way to do so because we are all imperfect.
Pope Benedict XVI, in his book Call to Communion, said “The pope has always been both petros and skandalon.” The pope has always been the foundation stone of the Church (petros) and a stone that people trip over, a stumbling block (skandalon). Scandal has always plagued the Church, and this may be a stumbling block for some, but the Church has always stood tall in the midst of it all, because God can still accomplish his will through our frailty and despite our sins.
Meet Fr. Mark-Mary
Father Mark-Mary was ordained as a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal (CFR) in 2018 and lives at a friary in the Bronx.
The mission of the CFRs is to wholeheartedly embrace Jesus through fidelity to the Church and her Sacraments. Paired with their commitment to prayer, contemplation, and study of Sacred Scripture, the CFRs serve those around them, especially the poor, in the footsteps of Christ.
Discover beautiful music from the CFRs here.
