Catholics today are living in dysfunctional household. We have a father who is abusive. In his heart, he is an unhappy man because he resents the life he has had. He lashes out at his children, he calls them names and insults them, he derides their offerings of love and affection to him, he uses vulgar descriptions and epithets. His love for our mother is superficial, he never really loved her, he uses her and abuses her and we are never, ever to talk about it. Some of our brothers and sisters think we must keep quiet and never, ever mention that father is an evil man. Some of our uncles have sexually abused us, they have done awful things to us, degrading, vulgar things. Many of our brothers and sisters have left home because of it and have lived lives of hatred, sexual depravity and substance abuse. Yet, our father seems to care more about those who did this to us then we ourselves.
"Something profoundly worrying about criticisms on the signatories of the Correction specifically for speaking out about problems which every informed Catholic already knows about, is the mindset it reveals, one focused not on the truth, but on appearances. It is strongly reminiscent of the mindset at work in abusive families, where children are taught to pretend things are all right, when they are not: certain topics are not to be broached, certain facts are not to be referred to. This attitude can be enforced not by the abusive parent directly, but by other family members who are trying to keep up appearances and hold the family together. It is nevertheless profoundly unhealthy, and indeed is linked to psychological disorders in the children." Dr. Joseph Shaw, Oxford
It is time to decide where you stand and how much abuse you are going to continue to take.