When abuse is exposed in your parish och churchfamily - from a simple person called to prayer.

My heart is moved and I have to write this, even if I'm not a great writer

When abusers and the enablers around them risk exposure they may defend themselves in a very ruthless and unchristlike way!

I have myself been in a situation with an abuser and enablers around this person and tried to expose the abuse. When a person risk loosing his (or her) position because of exposure the fear can very well make the person very dangerous.! The forces unleashed are formidable and evil.

Therefore pray!

Pray for those who actually know what is happening and "who is who" to have the courage to do what must be done no matter what the personal cost might be and it might cost them their own position and prestige here in this world. It might cost them all they have!

It will be impossible for observers via media to actually know who is working for the truth and who is covering up. There will be extensive mudslinging and defamation of those working for the truth.

We are all sinners. Of those working for exposure of abuser some WILL have THEIR past sins exposed as part of the struggle.

False accusations WILL be used as a weapon! You will probably not know what is true.

Therefore pray!

Pray for those who tried to do the right thing for truth and who got "shot down" that they find comfort in Christ. Pray for the protection of those working for the end of abuse.

Temper your own emotions.

Being angry about abuse is not a bad thing! But don't let the emotion of anger be you guide to action. Use that energy for loving, constructive action: Remember who the Evil one is behind all of this. Remember that only God really knows so turn to him and ask for guidance.

Pray for the Truth to be unveiled. That is eventually freedom for ALL involved. We can always pray for the Truth to have dominion even when we ourselves have no clue what it actually is!

Act!

Care for those who hurt.

Do not let the skin grow over an infected wound. Keep it open even if it is uncomfortable. If one part of the body suffers the whole body suffers. Demand that there will be a certain transparency. It may take some time to clean this wound.

Don't tire in prayer even if you can't se an end to it. Resist the nostalgia of a "Utopia of calm" that you seem to remember from "before". This is a passage for the whole Church to pass through. God wants to take the whole stinking situation and out of it create new life, if we let him and let him work in us! After an evil death comes Gods resurrection…

Pray for us to keep our hearts uplifted to God! Christians will seem to loose prestige (or it is already lost). See that as a good thing. Christ was humble and a humble Church is a good thing and humble Christians is a very good thing indeed! In fact, we can gain something! If we let God give us the gift of being truly humble.

And if we are truly humbled we can love more and love each other more and then people will see who we really are and what the Church really is!

Pray!