I’ve been working away on the manuscript for When’s God Gonna Call Me Back?. The more I work, the more excited I get about this project! Of course, it’s taken me away from other things, like blog writing…eating…sleeping…
Nevertheless, I’m overjoyed at the opportunity to give voice to those who have suffered separation from the Church. They want their stories told so that others may benefit from their strife and wisdom. I believe that’s exactly what this book will do, once it’s published.
Today I’m thinking in particular about an inmate at a state correctional institute. He’d been sexually abused by a priest and then by a Catholic Youth Organization counselor. Consequently, he became an abuser himself and ended up behind bars.
He could have become bitter and turned his back on the Church, and he did. For a while. Then he realized that the Church is made up of human beings, that some of them can sometimes cause great pain to others and that he can’t alienate himself from the entire Church based on the actions of a few. This man’s witness to forgiveness had left a deep impression on my heart, and I feel privileged to have received his confidence.
That’s one of dozens of such stories, each with its own impact and message. I’m grateful to our Lord for allowing me to work on this project, and I can’t wait to get it into your hands!
It sounds like an exciting project that must be heartbreaking in its own way.
Yes, Rae. It is. I'm praying that it will open the minds and hearts of folks on both hands – those who have left the Church and those who have not. We need to understand and reach out to one another.