Jesus: a critical companion in the journey of moving on from sexual abuse

Sexual abuse involves a fundamental violation of human rights. The denial of one human right, ie the right to be treated with dignity and not be subject to abuse, can readily be compounded with the denial of another human right, ie the right to faith. Although appreciating that many survivors of sexual abuse turn away from their faith, often for good reason, the right to retain one’s faith can be questioned either by oneself or others. While #MeToo is a contemporary manifestation of reclaiming one’s experiences, traditions such as Ignatian Spirituality have for centuries invited believers to envisage themselves within biblical narratives. Experiencing Jesus as a critical companion who had experienced abuse was a pivotal experience for the author during the years in she found herself struggling to make sense of the experience of sexual abuse and recognize the myriad of negative impacts it had made on her life. While rejecting the notion of ‘recovery’, in this chapter, the author reflects on her journey to moving to a point in which moving on from sexual abuse is no longer central to her life. In particular, she explores how reading scripture from a hermeneutic of abuse was an important part of her continuing journey of faith, as typified in her book Beyond Crucifixion: Meditations on Surviving Sexual Abuse, which she wrote more than ten years previously