It’s never been the hand in the dark, I remembered with a flash. It’s always the hand you hold.

Who is going to find the survivors who have no one? Who is even going to see the survivor who isn’t on the news? Who will find these hurting people and tell them how much they are worth?

I submit to you that the preeminent question in this case as you reach a decision about how best to satisfy the dual aims of this court is the same question that I asked Judge Neff to consider in Larry’s federal sentencing: How much is a little girl worth? How much is a young woman worth?

The weight of how we fail our children pressed on me as an attorney for victims who’d been abused by priests told a Globe investigative reporter: “Mark my words, Mr. Rezendes. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one.”[1]

“And it was not for any medical purpose; is that correct?” “What?” Larry blurted out in confusion and frustration. He had refused to put that in his statements and couldn’t be forced to, because it wasn’t in the statute. I gasped slightly as I realized what the judge was doing. She had the power to ask clarifying questions, and she was requiring

I knew from you that the work of healing was hard, but possible.

So much work remains. So much evil to fight. So much healing to reach for. So many wounded to love. Consider this your invitation to join in that work. To do what is right, no matter the cost. To hold to the straight line in the midst of the battle. To define your success by faithfulness in the choices you make. The darkness is there, and we cannot

I choose to trust God’s justice instead of wanting to deal with Larry myself.

I choose to forgive. I choose to want Larry’s repentance and salvation because it is what he needs, not what I want.