Props to the Padre

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Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High! God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Therefore, we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea. There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High. God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed; God will help it at the break of dawn. The LORD of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob. Come! behold the deeds of the LORD, the astounding things he has wrought on earth. 

I am such a lucky human. I have so many wonderful peeps in my life. Family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc.  #Blessed One of my very best friends on the Third Rock is John Keehner. That's him in the photo with my fam.

This is one of the good guys. The kind of person who'll give you advice without judging, his opinion only if you seek it, and his loyalty and compassion without question, hesitation, or measure. Did I mention he can name any 1980s tune in about three notes or less? 

I trust this man not only with my life but also those whose I love far more than my own: my son, my husband, my parents, my siblings, my --- you get the idea.

Even more importantly than this, I trust him with all of our souls. You see, John, whom out of esteem and admiration I could never actually call John, is a Catholic priest. He's more than my buddy, he's my spiritual go-to, yo.

He's quite unassuming and has no idea I'm writing about him today but I feel compelled. Not only because of my deep friendship with and love for the man I respectfully refer to as "Padre", but because of that awful sitch going on right now in our church.

I refer, of course, to the horrendous state of events involving many Catholic priests who violated innocence and their very vows...and the ensuing, widespread effort by some to hide this ugly truth. I am heartbroken over all of this. Not only as an outraged mother but also as a cradle Catholic. Guess who is even more distraught over this than I? The Padre.

My point is, lumping all priests or Catholics in with those who did a horrible thing is not only unfair, ignorant, and vulgar, it's just plain wrong...I would think it classifies as a sin, Capisce? All I'm saying is, it's dangerous to condemn someone based on the actions of others -- even if they belong to the same group. Guilt by association, in a whole heck of a lot of instance, is really innocence, you dig? Let that one sink in. So, instead, let's all focus on justice, healing, helping, and praying.

And '80s music 'cause, let's face it, my era's tunes are just Way Cool, Jr. and I don't care what others might Say, Say, Say. I mean, I don't want to Shout or anything but those who disagree are simply Out of Touch. (P.S. '80s kids will get all these references. Wink.)

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