What Would Jesus Do?

I'm not Catholic. If I met the Pope on the street and he wasn't wearing his pointy hat, I wouldn't recognize him. I ask the Lord to forgive my debts instead of my trespasses. I try to live a Christian life, but I do not attend church on a regular basis. Like Emily Dickinson, I keep the Sabbath staying at home.

But my lack of desire to worship with my fellow man has not dampened the sorrow I feel for the many Catholics in Northeast Ohio who are about to lose their home parish. These parishes are family traditions and refuges in neighborhoods that aren't so neighborly anymore. Not only do they tend the flock, many of them educate the young. When I think about the senior citizens who used to walk to church who will now have to find transportation to another church, it breaks my heart.

Maybe because I don't practice the faith, I shouldn't be judging their actions. I just think it's a shame that one of the wealthiest non-profit organizations in the world cannot come up with the money to keep churches open to give people aid and comfort during these dark times. Perhaps they've forgotten that these people they're turning out are the same people who continued to abide by the Catholic faith when scandal after scandal rocked its foundations.

Financially, closing parishes may make sense, but spiritually, it's never prudent to cut back on hope.