To Whom Shall we go?  What are we to do?

        The events of the last few months have left me troubled in Spirit.  As an ordained Deacon of the Catholic Church, I find myself wondering, "What do I tell them?  What do I tell my parishioners?  What do I tell any Catholic who faith has been shaken by the revelations of the past few months.  What do I say to them when they come to me and ask why the Shepherds of the Church who were charged with leading them closer to Christ, have let them down?  They are angry, and I am angry.  I have prayed about this and reflected on this daily since the news was broken that some of the  Shepherd's of our Church have abused their position and given in to sinful actions which have injured those they were supposed to care for.  And in my prayer and reflection, the words of St. Peter continue to come back to me after Jesus asks him,"Are you going to leave me too" Then Peter responds "To whom shall we go, you have the words of everlasting life."  It is these words that keep resonating in my ears.
         So in the midst of all of this mess that the Church is embroiled in, what am I to do? What are we to do?
          We do the only thing we can do.  We place our trust in Jesus Christ who established this Church to begin with.  It seems to me that if we believe that Jesus is the head of the Church and that the Holy Spirit continues to lead and guide the Church, it can not be be brought down by the actions of men. If we truly trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and that His words are truth and life, then we must we believe that the gates of hell can not prevail against the Church He established.  
         So what do we tell those whose faith has been shaken?  What do we tell those who want to leave the Church, Those who have lost hope?  We tell them that the Sacraments are still the Sacraments, established by Christ to give us grace, strength, and healing.  We tell them that the Eucharist is still the Eucharist, the real presence of Jesus who feeds us and remains with us.  We tell them that it is Jesus who is the head of the Church, not mortal men, and that despite the failures of humans,  the Church is still under God's protection.  
         We tell them that God loves them, and God will not abandon them.  But we don't simply tell them, we walk with them.  We continue to show the love of Jesus to them.  We continue to show them the compassion and mercy of Jesus.  
          The Body of Christ is not just a theoretical concept, or a nice image.  The Body of Christ is the living, breathing presence of Jesus in the world, and we are connected to one another with Jesus as our head, heart, and soul.  Jesus lives and breathes in this world through us, and it is up to us to be Jesus in a world that has lost hope, that can't see Him, that can't feel His love.