The Cardinal and the Crook

Father Pat took several minutes to seemingly gather his thoughts. James knew his father wasn’t one to speak without thinking, and when he did speak, he always had something valuable to share. A childlike part of him hoped that, somehow, Father Pat would have a way to solve this problem, to get him out of this. But based on the way the old priest’s expression seemed to deflate, his eyes downturned with unspoken grief, James knew there wasn’t a way out—for if there was, Father Pat would’ve discovered it already.

“Jimmy, you have been carrying a terrible . . . a horrible burden, my son. I can’t even begin to imagine how you must be feeling. I heard you say that you wished you’d never taken the job and how you are beating yourself up for being foolish and naive. And quite honestly, I don’t even want to think about spending the last few years of my life without seeing or speaking to you. I’m sure that Johnny and Father Jason feel the same way.”

He paused and took another drink of his scotch. Throughout their entire lives, Father Pat had always taught his sons to look at issues from all perspectives before making a final decision, and now, to James, it seemed he was about to do it again.

“But before you continue berating yourself, I want you to think of another possibility. Maybe . . . just maybe . . . as bad as this all seems . . . God has a plan for you. These are clearly evil people. They do terrible things. It’s possible that God is using you to put an end to this evil. And yes, the four people in this room will pay a very personal and painful price, but just imagine how many lives will be positively affected if this evil is destroyed. Think of how many fewer victims there will be when these gangsters are put away.”

James had never been as fully devoted to his faith in God as Father Pat or his brother, but in that moment, he could’ve sworn he felt something. A shift in the air, in the light—in the very energy of the room—that felt very much like God’s message to him. As though, perhaps, God was listening. That all along, he’d been listening.

Father Pat finished his drink, put down his glass, and looked James in the eyes with all the sincerity of a man speaking not to a boy, not to his son, but to another man capable of making the hard decisions dished out by life.

“Jimmy, I love you with all of my heart and soul. I thank God every day for blessing my life with you and Johnny. But I think everybody in this room is aware that this is bigger than any of us. If  you, my son, have the chance to do something that will save the lives of others,” he said, pausing to smile, despite it all, “then what a privilege and a gift that is, no matter the personal sacrifice.”