Healing of Hearts

I know that we have to have guidelines in place to safeguard children and that is important to protect children from any form of abuse.  But why did this happen on such a scale not only in the Church but in so many families.  What causes this abuse ?  Are we really addressing or getting to the heart of the emotional and psychological causes.  I see so many websites in Irish dioceses referring to the safeguards but what about the emotional hurts and pain that so many people are carrying to this day.  What causes someone to abuse a child sexually ?  Are we addressing the amount of pornography that is being sold on our shelves in our small villages and towns, are we watching carefully programmes on the television or do we just watch anything.  Do we allow our minds to be corrupted by sinful programmes and magazines which portray the body as an object instead of a human being with emotions and feelings.  Are we loving our children properly with affection and firmness.  Are we praying with our children, and helping them to get to know God.  If we have suffered pain and loss in our childhood do we ask God in sincerity to heal those wounds and ask others to help us.  Are we opening our hearts to Christ about our sexuality, our pain, our vulnerabilities and bringing them constantly to Him for healing and purification.  Do we hide our sins, our weaknesses behind a veil of exterior piosity in our Churches ?  Do we think God doesn't know these things that are stored in our hearts ?  He knows all, He knows everything and He wants us to come to Him with all our misery and sin. 

Holiness begins in the heart and our wounds we must bring to His wounds.  Keeping things in darkness suits the evil one very well, but bringing our woundedness to the light stops him in his tracks.  We have seen how the Lord has brought much to the light, He has exposed the woundedness in our Church for healing and redemption.  It was held in the dark for too long and was festering like a deep wound which is now open, weeping and slowly healing.  But we must take a long hard look at how this happened and not just paper over the cracks, with exterior guidelines which although are necessary are not the only answer.  I think that somehow we must bring our vulnerabilities to Christ continually for healing and redemption, we must have a proper and more healthy approach to human sexuality which is now being thankfully taught through the Theology of the Body.  It is only in Christ, in heartfelt prayer and sincere confession, and in the building up of real Christ centred Christian communities that we will find the answers and healing to all of this.