I wonder how many
Stare at a cross
And feel loss
When as a child
Lied to in the name of God
Told ‘be naked’ in
Altar boy robes
Groomed with gifts
In exchange for sex
Deformed and demonic
Between man and child
Defecated holy
When priests helped each other
cover up
They said “Go to confession
And dont tell anyone”
Girls included
A family of five
Starting young
Twisting truth
To feed priest sex drives,
The furthest distance from Jesus
The Cross
Welcomes all who are lost
Those never before
Baptized in truth
The Cross
Is power
Where the earth fell dark for hours
Where Jesus dove right into evil
Raised up again
Oh, His little children
Now thirties, forties and 87
Come back to Jesus
For strength and renewal
He will raise up beauty from misused ashes
He will hold each of you
For the longest time through
Until you believe He was with you
And that you are His beloved son or daughter
And that nothing … not evil or angels, or death or distance … can change His love and mercy and grace
All coming to you to repair, heal and carry confidence in your face
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, Our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).
~~~
Information about the nature of the sex crimes committed by PA priests was taken from PA Attorney General’s report. You can read the full report here: https://www.attorneygeneral.gov.
Though I am careful to site the sources for the words in this poem, I sense there are many more than the 1000 named in PA who have suffered such abuse from priests.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of a sex crime by a priest at any time in your life, you are not alone. Many are speaking the #truth now after having been silenced. You can too.
You are prayed for. You are loved because the #truth of the Bible tells us, Jesus is the way, the truth and life. He is a loving, living Son of God who wants you to heal.
Your sister in Christ,
Julie
Faith Hope and Poetry 