Yesterday I rode my bike past the Santa Cruz police station. An American flag fluttered at the top of their flagpole, and just below it, a rainbow flag. I was reminded that it was “pride” month.
Of what are we so proud as Americans? Are we proud of our unnatural and disordered sexual practices? Are we proud that we have corrupted our children and robbed them of stable family life? Are we proud that so many of our teenage boys, growing up without a supportive father--most of them poor African-American children--bear the burden of sexual confusion? Are we proud that 25% of our girls have been molested by the time they reach 18? Are we proud that the leading cause of death among young people in America is despair (suicide, drug overdose, gang violence, and alcohol poisoning)? Are we proud of the fact that the corporations that bankroll “Pride” have grown unimaginably wealthy while most Americans are growing poorer?
I am told that some Catholic priests and bishops promote “pride month.” June, for the Catholic Church, is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is not the month of unnatural sexual practices. Are the clergy proud to have paid out four billion dollars of the people’s money for priests’ and bishops’ sexual assault on boys? If we want love, we know where to find it: in the divine and sacred heart of Jesus, reflected in the lives of married couples, priests, and single people who struggle to be faithful to God's will. We all struggle with what life has given us. My heart goes out to those who have endured difficult, lonely childhoods and struggle as adults to integrate their lives. We all struggle. It is God alone who can help us. His Sacred Heart is open to all of us who long to love and to be loved.
Of what are we so proud as Americans? Are we proud of our unnatural and disordered sexual practices? Are we proud that we have corrupted our children and robbed them of stable family life? Are we proud that so many of our teenage boys, growing up without a supportive father--most of them poor African-American children--bear the burden of sexual confusion? Are we proud that 25% of our girls have been molested by the time they reach 18? Are we proud that the leading cause of death among young people in America is despair (suicide, drug overdose, gang violence, and alcohol poisoning)? Are we proud of the fact that the corporations that bankroll “Pride” have grown unimaginably wealthy while most Americans are growing poorer?
I am told that some Catholic priests and bishops promote “pride month.” June, for the Catholic Church, is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is not the month of unnatural sexual practices. Are the clergy proud to have paid out four billion dollars of the people’s money for priests’ and bishops’ sexual assault on boys? If we want love, we know where to find it: in the divine and sacred heart of Jesus, reflected in the lives of married couples, priests, and single people who struggle to be faithful to God's will. We all struggle with what life has given us. My heart goes out to those who have endured difficult, lonely childhoods and struggle as adults to integrate their lives. We all struggle. It is God alone who can help us. His Sacred Heart is open to all of us who long to love and to be loved.
My family in 1990: Dad and Mom, six children spouses, and grandchildren.
I thank God that they have never given up on each other over 68 years.
I thank God that they have never given up on each other over 68 years.
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