Dear Fr. ***,
I have recently read a blog online regarding you. In my opinion this blog was written by a condescending coward who spoke out of self-righteousness, this man did not write this blog to help you spiritually (as he so proudly boasts) it is in my belief a blog intended only hurt and belittle you. This was a blog written without Christ in mind.
In this Lenten season I have found myself in a “spiritual valley” or floundering, not so much in my faith but in my relationship with Jesus Christ. I have found myself in a bit of an angry place with God. Between personal issues and world issues it seems to me that God is not watching over us, no longer protecting us, not longer loving us.
This is when I was reminded of you. This is when I was reminded of the greatest lesson in my faith, the lesson that you taught me. Do you remember me? Do you remember a 17 year old kid who was struggling with injustice in his life, who was struggling to find good in the world again? Do you remember what you told this kid when he told you he thought God didn’t care for him?
You told me that there are two forces in this world. One of which is very active in this world. You taught that my anger should not be placed on God but on the evil force that prowls the world seeking the ruin of souls. You also taught me that even though my anger is with Satan, I should place this anger in the loving hands of Jesus Christ and continue on with peace in my heart.
You might not even remember saying this to me. But you should know that this lesson has been the very thesis of my faith to this day.
One of my favorite scriptures is I Peter 1:7
“Christians are like gold, they must be tested and purified by fire”
Fr. ***, your arrest was that very fire. It was the fire for myself, my wife, and many parishioners from ***********. Some of us were purified by this fire. Some of us (like this cowardly blogger) were not. But I am not angry with you or anyone who had such choice words for you after you arrest. The fire will come again, and we all have a chance to be purified once again.
My faith was never once challenged because of your arrest. In fact it was quite the opposite. I knew then that Satan is real and ever present in our world. I did not become angry with you, God, or the people of *******. I became angry with Satan and I left my anger in the loving arms of Jesus Christ. I have made peace with this situation.
Another favorite of mine is John 8:7
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”
This is not me. I could never throw the first stone. I, like many, am a man in clear need of a savior. Sin is sin in Gods eyes down from the smallest of lies right up to murder and the most heinous of crimes. I do not believe anyone on this planet is in a position to write such a malicious self-righteous blog about you when they themselves are very aware of their own crucifixion of Christ. There is no one free of sin. This is why God gave us his only son. How can these Christians not realize that?
You have been an extraordinary part my life as a young adult, and you have played an even bigger role in my faith as an adult. No matter what anyone can say about you I thank God every day that I knew you, that I could learn from you, and that you took the time to help a troubled teenager find his way in his struggling faith.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is new; the old has gone, the new has come!” II Corinthians 5:17
I hope you are well. I hope you still have that heroic faith that has inspired me through the years and carried me through my spiritual journey.
I have recently read a blog online regarding you. In my opinion this blog was written by a condescending coward who spoke out of self-righteousness, this man did not write this blog to help you spiritually (as he so proudly boasts) it is in my belief a blog intended only hurt and belittle you. This was a blog written without Christ in mind.
In this Lenten season I have found myself in a “spiritual valley” or floundering, not so much in my faith but in my relationship with Jesus Christ. I have found myself in a bit of an angry place with God. Between personal issues and world issues it seems to me that God is not watching over us, no longer protecting us, not longer loving us.
This is when I was reminded of you. This is when I was reminded of the greatest lesson in my faith, the lesson that you taught me. Do you remember me? Do you remember a 17 year old kid who was struggling with injustice in his life, who was struggling to find good in the world again? Do you remember what you told this kid when he told you he thought God didn’t care for him?
You told me that there are two forces in this world. One of which is very active in this world. You taught that my anger should not be placed on God but on the evil force that prowls the world seeking the ruin of souls. You also taught me that even though my anger is with Satan, I should place this anger in the loving hands of Jesus Christ and continue on with peace in my heart.
You might not even remember saying this to me. But you should know that this lesson has been the very thesis of my faith to this day.
One of my favorite scriptures is I Peter 1:7
“Christians are like gold, they must be tested and purified by fire”
Fr. ***, your arrest was that very fire. It was the fire for myself, my wife, and many parishioners from ***********. Some of us were purified by this fire. Some of us (like this cowardly blogger) were not. But I am not angry with you or anyone who had such choice words for you after you arrest. The fire will come again, and we all have a chance to be purified once again.
My faith was never once challenged because of your arrest. In fact it was quite the opposite. I knew then that Satan is real and ever present in our world. I did not become angry with you, God, or the people of *******. I became angry with Satan and I left my anger in the loving arms of Jesus Christ. I have made peace with this situation.
Another favorite of mine is John 8:7
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”
This is not me. I could never throw the first stone. I, like many, am a man in clear need of a savior. Sin is sin in Gods eyes down from the smallest of lies right up to murder and the most heinous of crimes. I do not believe anyone on this planet is in a position to write such a malicious self-righteous blog about you when they themselves are very aware of their own crucifixion of Christ. There is no one free of sin. This is why God gave us his only son. How can these Christians not realize that?
You have been an extraordinary part my life as a young adult, and you have played an even bigger role in my faith as an adult. No matter what anyone can say about you I thank God every day that I knew you, that I could learn from you, and that you took the time to help a troubled teenager find his way in his struggling faith.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is new; the old has gone, the new has come!” II Corinthians 5:17
I hope you are well. I hope you still have that heroic faith that has inspired me through the years and carried me through my spiritual journey.
