yosoylatino@neededsafespace
A Reading from the First Letter to the Grifters:
In those days, there arose one who claimed the mantle of the Convert, entering the Sanctuary not with a contrite heart, but with a camera and two children as her shield. Yea, she returned a year later, dragging her husband into the light of the flashbulb, that the photo op might be fulfilled.
She cried out, "The Spirit has led me home!" and "The Mother of God has changed my heart!" yet in her right hand she carried a fresh victim card, and in her left, a banner of discord. She was sealed with the oil of Confirmation, but the fruits she bore were not of the Spirit. For in place of Wisdom, she offered the twisting of truth; in place of Understanding, she sought the comfort of conspiracies; and in place of Fortitude, she hijacked the councils of the people to revive ancient hatreds and defend the daughters of Babylon.
Behold, a fire rages in her soul, yet it is not the fire of the Pentecost. It is a parched bonfire of clout and of grift, a smoke that obscures the Altar. She hungers deeply, but not for the Bread of Life; she thirsts for the microphone, for the digital stage, and for the viral outrage of the masses.
She speaks as a teacher to those who have held the faith for generations, saying, "I have found that which is rooted," even as she uses the Root to sharpen her own axe. She weeps in the marketplace, crying "Persecution!" after being cast out for her own bile, yet she dresses her ambition in the robes of "Catholic Conscience."
Let those with ears hear: This is no homecoming of a wandering sheep. It is the entry of the wolf in the color of the lamb. For she did not come because the Word is true; she came because the Stage was empty.
The Word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God.