Fr. Alberto Cutie

I don't know Fr. Cutie. You probably know more about him than I do. But, I do know this. He is a priest. He was lifted (I believe, by God) to a position of notoriety and loved by his parish, community, and Church for proclaiming the Catholic faith with zeal and fidelity.

Then, he broke his vows. A media blitz ensued. And now he has left the Catholic Church and entered another faith community. His girlfriend is now his fiance. He has gone from Catholic priest to Episcopalian deacon.

In essence, it all comes down to obedience and vows. As Catholics, we (and Fr. Cutie at one point anyway) believe that he chose to be wed to the Bride of Christ.

And then, he chose to break his vows, something like having an affair in a marriage. But rather than stick around, honoring his vows to his Bride, he decided to run off with the other woman, to call her his fiance.

The media may wish to make this about celibacy. It is not about celibacy. It is about fidelity. Fr. Cutie has a Bride. He freely chose Her.

His true Bride has been very good to him. Faithful. Doting, even.

We are damaged, as members of the Bride. We have to pick up the pieces. Sometimes bite our tongue. Sometimes cry in private. Sometimes set the record straight when it is necessary.

But we are the Bride, and it hurts very much.

Here's the thing. Fr. Cutie, if he ever believed the Catholic Church was true, is in for a lot of pain. Nothing can "top" the Bride for long. Nothing stays that appealing. In a world of change, She remains fresh and pure and beautiful.

And real happiness is grounded in some basic principles. Faith. Truth. Fidelity. Obedience. Love.

Okay, Bride. Let's pick ourself up. We can handle this. We have handled much in the past. But no wife says to the world, "Oh, it's okay. It's understandable. I get why he was unfaithful." So don't be that kind of Catholic. Be a part of the true Bride of Christ, saying "It hurts. But I still want him to come home. We'll figure this out - if only he comes home."