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No ... I'M Sparticus !

/8^)

I had an opportunity to be prodigal for my mother, but my father died the year I was saved ... which, btw, had a part in my getting saved

OK ... more to the story

(I told you I had synopsized greatly)

My father died in '81 and it was at his wake that I sat and asked, staring at the casket ... "Where did you go?"

I'd always been a little more cerebral than my brothers

Having been raised Catholic, I "knew" there was a 33% chance he was in heaven but a 66% chance he wasn't ... which I thought was lousy odds

After the burial, I returned to where I was living and vacilated between staying drunk, getting high and finding loose women

Some time previously I had struck up a relationship with "Jude", one of those hip priests that 'pastored' a "Newman Center" in a college town

One night we were discussing stuff (he was Jesuit, so an educated and intellectual guy ... I liked him .... ) and I asked about my father

I don't remember the exact flow of the conversation, but it was enjoyable, and I came away with, "Well, I don't know and nobody CAN know because no one's ever come back from the dead to tell us" ....

which I bought

After all ... he was Jude ... a cool priest

Acouple of months later I was at a party and righteously stoned ... no lady seemed to be interested in me, so I started my crash ... losing consciousness on a couch .......

When it hit me

Jude didn't know where my father was ..

I didn't know where my father was ..

He was no closer to God than ME ....

WHAT in the WORLD was I going to HIM for?

At the moment, Catholicism ceased to be a religion and a politic and I went searching ....

NOW I commit felonies, and pick up in the aforementioned section

Critical amusement regarding my testimony ... I was 33 when my father died

Jesus was 33 when the Son died

I've preached that a couple of times, but it gets too twisty for the average listener.