Who reads this blog? Not as many readers as say, The Huffington Post or Rorate Caeli but my few readers are a tough bunch and some of them have been following me since the day I posted the story of my conversion in my first website circa 2004. Among my readers there may be someone, a priest, a bishop, may be a lay person who can make these words available to our Holy Father Francis in Rome. The fact that I was born in the same country as His Holiness may be of some help. I know Pope Francis receives thousands of letters per day, that lead me to think that perhaps this is a more effective way to get to the Pope’s ears.
His Holiness will have to forgive me for the informality of this request, I am not very good at being formal but this time I am presenting a very serious matter that requires the Pope’s attention. I remember reading somewhere that some sick people were cured when the shadow of Peter, our first Pope, was cast upon them. Throughout history many Popes have effected wonderful miracles by the grace of God, or have been the object of wonderful miracles like that time when an angel delivered St. Peter from prison as told in the Bible in Acts 12: 1-19.
I dare to ask His Holiness for one of his fellow priests, Fr. Gordon MacRae, who has spent the best part of the last two decades in prison. He was judged and condemned in what can only be described as a travesty of justice. More shameful than the imperfect human justice he received was the almost perfect silence the Church has maintained as Fr. MacRae endured his cross.
I do not know if it is possible to legally extricate Fr. MacRae from his imprisonment. I know many good legal minds have examined the process that lead him there and found it lacking. Many have written about him in prestigious publications. Others like myself have raised our voices as loud as we can to denounce this injustice. Today I want to ask you to please break the silence of the Church that Christ founded. Peter failed to be under the Cross with Christ, only John and Mary remained. I believe that John heard the beat of Our Lord’s Sacred Heart the night of the Last Supper. Hearing it was enough to educate his young mind in the ways of perfect loyalty to Our King. Of course there at the site of the Crucifixion was also Mary, whose perfection allowed her, by God’s grace, to have that same heart beating in her precious virginal womb. Our Blessed Mother was also perfectly loyal to Him but she went further because as a mother she had to undo the envy in Eve’s heart with another sacred and sinless form of desire: she wished, she perfectly wished the horrors and the pain of the Cross for herself. In doing so she completed her mission for that day. Anyone who has seen a mother lovingly tending to her sick son or daughter can understand Mary’s agony at Calvary. Our Lord confirmed her with His words to John: “Son there is your mother” and later to Mary “Mother, there is your son.” Mary and John were to be the model for all the faithful for ages to come. Peter, our first Pope, was sadly absent.
Of course I am telling things that His Holiness already knows. But I humbly ask you today to make shine in the charism of Peter that lovely trait of tender loyalty that our first Pope — perhaps by divine design — failed to exercise that night. Dear Holy Father please hear the perfect beat of the Sacred Heart like a soldier that hears the drum intently to keep marching straight. Join Our Blessed Mother in desiring for herself the pains of the Cross and visit the case of Fr. Gordon MacRae. Please break the shameful silence of our pastors and show them the way just like Our Lord did when He taught us: “Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:39)
Please forgive my daring to ask you in this way for I am far and I am not even sure I know how to send you a proper letter. Before ending this, my humble plea for our dear Fr. MacRae, allow me to ask you for your blessing and prayers for this sinner.
In the love of Christ and Mary Most Holy I remain,
Your son,
Carlos Caso-Rosendi
Published 04 March 2014.
Carlos Caso-Rosendi 