DON'T FORGET, SAVE THE DATE

Someone gave me the church bulletin from Saint Peter's Church on Main Street from this past Sunday.

On the back page was a notice for a "vigil of support" for Mayor Eddie Perez.

Didn't they learn a lesson the last time the Mayor's "spiritual supporters" tried that on the steps of the Courthouse?

And the next question I have is whether it is really appropriate for a church to be holding a vigil for a man charged with criminal activity. Would it not be more appropriate to hold a vigil and pray for the future of Hartford and the monumental hurdles it faces?

And not to be judgmental, I'll leave that to a higher authority, but isn't the first step toward forgiveness and reconciliation actually repentance? If he has done nothing wrong, why the need for a vigil? Shouldn't the truth be enough to avoid any problems.

Maybe an "anti-corruption" vigil outside the Church might be appropriate.

It seems as though the priorities might be a little out of line here. Maybe a vigil to support the Mayor's family as they struggle with the stress he has put them under. Maybe a vigil to pray for guidance for Mayor Perez to do what is best for Hartford and its people. Maybe even to pray for the jurors and prosecutors and Perez's attorneys to give them strength and guidance and for justice to prevail.

I guess it is probably just easier to pray for a one sided subject with closed eyes to the truth. But, I think we all have a tendency to do just what Saint Peter's Church and Sacred Heart Church are doing.

When the situation seems hopeless and nothing else will work, we turn to God and prayer. It might work out more favorably with Eddie having a one on one conversation with the "Big Guy", that usually seems more genuine than using "Him" for a media spectacle.

A request for comment from the Archdiocese of Hartford went unanswered. A person in the Archdiocese Office of Radio and Television said spokesperson Father John Gatzak "was in production, and unavailable"

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