"None is righteous, no, not one"I grew up admiring Joe Paterno as the greatest college football coach in history (for those who don't know, my dad is a Penn State fan and indoctrinated me with a love for JoePa at an early age). He was one of my idols, a hero that I could strive to imitate. In my mind, Joe Paterno has always been the closest to faultless as any man could ever be. He is a self-made man of self-determination and self-discipline. He is a man of the highest values and the most impeccable character. If you looked up "old-man-of-upstanding-character" in the dictionary, you would find a picture of JoePa:
How could he have let this happen?! How could he turn a blind eye to the despicable act of child molestation? How could he have allowed a man who he know to be a child molester to coach on his team? Never in a million years did I think that JoePa would go down the way he is for the reason he is. Even now, I'm still partially in denial, as I'm having a very difficult time accepting that JoePa would have let something so horrible happen without a confrontation or dismissal of Sandusky. I almost feel betrayed.
That said, I really need to stop being surprised every time the depravity of man becomes apparent. We put our faith in the righteousness of man, even though we all know that such a faith will only let us down, and then feel sad and betrayed when they don't live up to the high expectation we set for them. We all expect JoePa and all of our leaders to be perfect and flawless, forgetting humanity's enslavement to sin. This horrible situation is a reminder to me of the reality of sin and brokenness of the world that we live in. The moment I think that sin is completely defeated in my life (the sin of pride, ironically) is the moment that sin decides to rear its ugly head - "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." Not only do we have to deal with our own sin, we also have to deal appropriately with the sin and brokenness of others. This is actually where Paterno failed and is paying dearly for it.
From the Boondock Saints:
"And I am reminded, on this holy day, of the sad story of Kitty Genovese. As you all may remember, a long time ago, almost thirty years ago, this poor soul cried out for help time and time again, but no person answered her calls. Though many saw, no one so much as called the police. They all just watched as Kitty was being stabbed to death in broad daylight. They watched as her assailant walked away. Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men."In all of history, there has only been one man to have lived without sin, and it is in him that we need to place our faith and hope. In no one else can we expect perfection or holiness, as there is no one else in the world, not even the most self-disciplined man of character like JoePa, that is unaffected by sin. It sounds silly, but sometimes I had forgotten that Joe Paterno isn't holy and perfect like Jesus. However, JoePa needs Jesus, and if JoePa needs Jesus, how much more do I need Jesus!
It is a sad, sad day for college football.
Well put.
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