You and I will never know what was in Ted Kennedy’s heart or in the heart of the priests who heard his confessions.
All we know are three things:
1. The priest and the man are human.
2. God is perfect, and loves us all, even though we are not perfect.
3. God sacrificed His only Son to wipe away all sins.
Ted Kennedy’s sin.
Your sin.
My sin.
All sin.
Jesus’ sacrifice was perfect. There is no sin it cannot wipe away if the sinner is contrite.
It is wrong of us to say that because so-and-so wasn’t kicked out, you don’t have to return to the Church. God didn’t say “All sin except for Ted Kennedy’s”. God is bigger than that. His sacrifice was eternal and unending. He has room for all of us.
I will pray for you to have a change of heart. The whole Church would love to welcome you back. God wants nothing more than to see you accept His Son’s perfect sacrifice.
Prayers for you!
My concern is less for the Kennedys than for the clerics who gave them cover for their misdeeds. I mean the likes of Drinan, but also bishops like Bernardin. His attacks on Judge Bork were among the most viscious in recent history; his person maorals were a disgrace. Yet there he was. And while any Catholic deserves a funeral mass, the way he was feted by the Church makes one heartsick.