The Message vs The Messenger
In 1972, Fr. Bruce Ritter, a Roman Catholic priest, and one-time member of the Franciscan order, founded Covenant House. It was a remarkable crusade driven by this man of humble origins born in Trenton, NJ and raised in nearby Hamilton. His story of gathering some homeless runaways and providing them shelter, and seeking a commission from the Archdiocese of New York to expand this ministry was beyond compelling and inspiring. By the 1980s, Covenant House had grown to an $87 million agency, operating in major cities across the United States as well as Canada and Latin America. I can recall a Friday night sleepover fundraiser sponsored by the CYO at St. Joseph’s that occurred in Girls Catholic H.S. auditorium where Fr. Ritter was the guest speaker. His presentation of the plight of these runaway kids and their sexual exploitation by predators was powerfully emotional and genuinely moving. What I remembered most from that night, apart from some of the horrific stories he shared, was the sense of serenity that Fr. Ritter exuded, and the calm resolve he projected in defeating this scourge of our humanity. It made such an impression on me that I was a faithful contributor to Covenant House for years after.
I say “was” because after the accusations of sexual misconduct and financial discrepancies surfaced, I along with many others, unfortunately, suspended making contributions. For it appeared that Fr. Ritter had broken his “covenant” with not just the kids he was bound to protect (most importantly) but also with his many supporters, who believed in him and his cause, and contributed to it because of the sanctity and necessity of his ministry and their faith in him to deliver on that covenant. In reflecting back, I made the mistake that many people do when they evaluate the worthiness of a cause or movement or a belief system. We determine the worth and value of them based on the messenger and tend to lose focus on the message – which is the real substance to consider. Fr. Ritter was never formally charged, the independent investigation’s findings being that there was not enough evidence to meet the legal burden of beyond reasonable doubt although the investigation found the cumulative evidence to be quite extensive. Fr. Ritter, the founder of Covenant House, who was lauded by a president, recognized by numerous organizations with awards and adulation, served on a presidential commission on pornography -in disgrace, retired to an obscure town in upstate New York and his eventual passing was of little note. God is not mocked – especially when it comes to His children.
But this essay is not to assail Fr. Ritter, who one can only hope found repentance and reconciliation to our Heavenly Father in his final years. For the truth remains, we are all children of a Heavenly Father who is always standing on the porch of His heavenly home, awaiting the return of His prodigal sons and daughters. Rather, the point for consideration here is how often we fail to distinguish the messenger from the message. The meaning, substance and worth of a cause, movement or belief system, especially those grounded in principles of morality and justice, must be evaluated apart and independent of any messenger or promoter or prophet of such. This is necessary because all such representatives remain human and subject to the vanity of conceit and pride that is germane to our nature. Simply put, we are imperfect human beings, all of us, who will certainly fail to live up to any test of our moral fortitude if exposed to any significant scrutiny. Those leaders and change agents that we most revere in history would certainly fall short of such objective assessment: Lincoln, Gandhi, the Kennedys, Martin Luther King, Jr, and way too many religious figures who spoke/speak in the name of God to mention. I don’t reference these examples to disparage the contributions and ultimate sacrifice these people paid, but rather point to a verifiable truth: they were not perfect but their causes, beliefs, and to a degree, their actions and words, are still worthy of consideration and adherence. The point being, because we could find examples of their human foibles that existed in their lives doesn’t justify dismissing the truth and validity of their message. Even in those cases where the messengers present themselves as the paragon of the virtues, character, teachings, and moral principles they extol, there is never justification to invalidate those virtues, character, teachings, and moral principles if such are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy, and just. Fr. Ritter is just one example of this reality. He himself failed to live up to the standards of his ministry, it is apparent. But his ministry – of protecting and aiding and saving the most vulnerable in our society from sexual exploitation – is still true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy, and just. This is true of people and of institutions. The Roman Catholic Church and many other Christian Ministries are under attack in today’s world because of the shortcomings and hypocrisies of leaders in those institutions. And those aberrations of these institutions should be expelled with immediacy and urgency. But in no way should any critic or cynic of those institutions think themselves justified in dismissing the principles and truths of those institutions because of clay-footed leaders. We would not deem it justifiable to abolish the United Nations because a segment of a peacekeeping force or one its many Committees fail to uphold, indeed even act contrarian, to the principles of the UN Charter. If that be the case with man-made institution, how much more so those institutions and principles founded on the basis of the eternal verities?
There is one exception to the messenger vs message model. The exception could only exist on two conditions: when the messenger and the message are perfect, and the messenger is the message. Only one example of that occurrence exists in our human history: Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus was God born incarnate in human form. His very nature was both divine and human. He was born without sin. All sin has its basis in pride, or vanity. Scriptures tell us that Lucifer, the most beautiful angel, decided that he could not worship God because he was as beautiful as God. He deemed himself equal to God. The very vanity of that notion is that Lucifer forgot that God created him. Scriptures tell us that the piece of pottery does not dictate to the Potter who made it. And it is the same argument that Lucifer uses to tempt Adam and Eve: God has forbidden them to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil because God knows once the two eat of that fruit, they will be equal to God. Again, a vain notion.
Jesus was equal to God, and was God, and yet permitted his human side to submit to God. Jesus was obedient to God to the point of sacrifice, to the point of death: to submit to dying by crucifixion, to pay for our sins of vanity. Jesus in His lifetime delivered a message of repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation. He was the bearer of good news. But He also was the good news. He was the conduit for repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation. He was the messenger and the message in one. For those who scoff at this presentation, and question the validity of its truth, I point to the ultimate example of Jesus’ being the messenger and the message. Hours before He was to be arrested, tried, scourged and crucified, the preacher of love, humility and servitude, who encouraged His disciples that those who yearned to be greatest in the kingdom of His Father must live as the least, and serve others – this Jesus of Nazareth, prior to His death and resurrection, got down on His knees and washed His disciples’ feet with His hair. He who preached the virtue of humility humbled Himself to the point of almost ultimate humility by washing the filthy and noisome feet of grown men. The ultimate humility was demonstrated hours later when He who was without sin, and therefore never had to die, submitted Himself to the humiliation of a false trial, a scourging and a crucifixion. Because He who is love, loved us while we were yet sinners.
For those who have ears, the Message is clear: there is a price for entrance into the heavenly gates - the Messenger has paid the price. Admission is free by Grace for those who believe in the Messenger.
