Goings on in my job. What a blessing.

Recently, I have been blessed to witness persecution.

What? Yes, persecution is bad... but think of Christ. Think of His holy martyrs. I'd consider it a privilege and honor to die defending Holy Mother Church. Yet, I digress.

Here's what's been going on. Last Sunday, the Catholic Student Group brought Janet Smith, to speak on campus. Since then, it has received a lot of attention from the University's newspaper. Feel free to read what's been printed so far. Below is what I have sent to the paper, in hopes they would print it. In general, among the community here, I've gotten a lot of 'thank you's and 'good job's. I'm curious as to know your response, dear reader. Sure, you can comment on the content of the issue at hand, but as evident my reply, I'd rather focus on the kind of people we are throughout this matter and the direction of our hearts.

Here's what I submitted, with changes noted in [red]:

To [names of students removed, one of whom is a columnist for the BGNews], and the rest of the BGNews staff [and BGSU population at large, I requested to have this part removed before it's considered for printing]

First of all, I'd like to be absolutely transparent with everyone. I'm not going to try to debate facts, nor do I wish to malign any one's character or what he or she may believe. I understand that what someone believes is important to him or her, so much so that it can define who a person is and can direct that person's path in life. Whether that is right or wrong, I will not debate either. What I'm more concerned with, as I hope Prof Smith would agree, is the state of each individual's heart in all of this matter. Yes, a lot of what Janet Smith has said is shocking... as well it should be. However, that doesn't give any of us the right to defame anyone just because he or she believes differently. This respect ought to extend to all people, even to the Pope.

Secondly, can you put yourselves in another's shoes for just a little bit? Do you think that Veritas brought Janet Smith here to make everyone mad? Do you think she was brought here all of the sudden make every single student and faculty member become like Catholic robots, bending to the will of, and I quote, "old white men whose power and influence relies on their ability to uphold an archaic, patriarchal institution,"? Do you really believe what you're writing here, or are you speaking out of anger because someone else in the world happens to disagree with you and then was given a microphone?

I'm honestly not concerned so much about the content of any speech, because there have been plenty of University sponsored speeches that I've attended and then left fuming during my undergraduate here at what I still consider to be a fine institution of higher education... and let's be honest, Veritas, as student organization, has the right as such to bring in any speaker they want to use to promote their own beliefs, just as much as any other organization has the right to bring in speakers who hold opposing views to promote them, which, as I suggested before, I have experienced. The presentation by Prof. Smith at the same time was not mandatory and, if you had attended, you could have left at any time, as some individuals did. What I'm more interested in, truth be told, is what I said before... the condition of your heart, from a human perspective. As I read all of the articles and comments and responses back and forth, I simply am left myself to ask, why? Why do some people respond the way they do? What makes them tick? What's happened to that person in his or her lifetime to make them feel this way or that way? Have they been hurt by someone who's held these views in the past? Do they feel that they have to comment, to be noticed? to be loved? to be approved of?

Thirdly, and most importantly, if you reading this have been hurt in the past by anyone, especially by someone who was supposed to be representing God, may I express my deepest and sincerest apologies. Know that you are not alone and that you can find the hope, peace, and eternal joy that all people long for, whether they realize it or not. While Prof Smith did not explicitly express this as her goal, as a fellow faithful Catholic, I pray that she would agree with me that her mission is in fact to teach, so that hopefully, this world can be a better place and that things like hope, peace, prosperity, life, freedom, true love, lasting happiness, can and will one day be the law that is written on the hearts of all people.
You may call me a dreamer or think I'm unrealistic, but I've been able to experience just a sliver of what I'm talking about... I can honestly say that I've been in some pretty dark places in my life. If it weren't for the Church, I would not be able to type this to you today. Now, by no means to I wish to boast of anything of myself nor do I wish make you feel worse or inferior to me. I am dust; I am nothing; I would not be surprised if this article did not get printed, for I do not deserve such recognition. At the end of the day, all I can do is hope that my actions, whether big or small, were done with utmost sincerity and love, in service of my fellow human beings.

To the BGNews staff,
[There was a male reporter who stopped by the Veritas table yesterday, offering help. Would you be able to tell me who that individual was? This part was not relevant to the article per se, but hopefully the newspaper staff is smart enough to realize not to print it.]
Thank you so much for your cooperation. It is my prayer that you continue to seek the truth. In doing so, you will be united with the goal and ideal of higher education as well as with the student group Veritas (whose name means "Truth").

Whether you want them or not, all those reading this, you are in my prayers.

So..... that's what I sent it. Other members of this community are also sending emails to the BG News. While I'm not directly responsible for the content of their messages, I did also send out an email encouraging our community to see these persecutions as blessings, and to remain diligent in prayer and evangelization, spreading the truth with love.