Post by Brian Cady on Mar 28, 2014 18:42:02 GMT -5
<><><><><>FLASHBACK ALMOST 44 MONTHS<><><><><>
Date: Sunday August 7, 2011
Time: 10:53 am EST
Site: St. Francis of Assisi – Delaware Avenue Site (Albany, New York)
{Scene: A little over two months ago, the wrestling world saw the end of an era when “The X Effect” Brian Cady announced his retirement. That singular moment brought a sudden and surprise ending to a ten-year career inside the squared circle. Cady retired as one of the most decorated wrestlers to ever come out of upstate New York, with 25 championship reigns and several awards… including the 2002 CwA Wrestler of the Year.
{After announcing his retirement, Cady would rediscover his faith and become a regular parishioner at the church he grew up in… with a few changes. Originally known as Saint James, the parish has now merged with the St. John’s / St. Ann’s parish in downtown Albany due to hard financial times in the diocese. The parish leadership has also changed, along with the way certain are done in the course of the liturgy, yet one thing remained a constant over the years: the fellow parishioners.
{As we take a look inside the Delaware Avenue site of the newly-formed Saint Francis of Assisi parish, we see the 10:30am mass going on as they celebrate the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time.}
Deacon Ray Sullivan: “At this time, I would like to introduce a young man who has not only come back home to the city of Albany, but has also come back to his spiritual home. Giving our Gospel reading and homily for today, the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, please welcome retired professional wrestler Brian Cady.”
{About halfway back, “The X Effect” stands up from his center aisle seat at the end of the pew, straightens out his tie and begins approaching the front of the church to a chorus of cheers. Cady stops at the end of the aisle, bows to the altar and walks around to the left side staircase next to the pulpit. The former WGWF Intercontinental Champion shakes hands with Deacon Sullivan, before turning around and facing the standing congregation. Cady waves to everyone, as the cheering finally dies down and the service continues.}
Brian Cady: “The Lord be with you.”
Congregation: “And also with you.”
Brian Cady: “A reading from the Holy Gospel, according to Saint Matthew.”
Congregation: “Glory to you, O Lord.”
{“The X Effect” goes on to read the Gospel.}
“After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
And precede him to the other side,
While he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
Was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
He came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
‘It is a ghost,’ they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’
Peter said to him in reply,
‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’
He said, ‘Come.’
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
And, beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
And said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’
Brian Cady: “The Gospel of the Lord.”
Congregation: “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.”
{The congregation sits down in their pews, as Cady closes the Book of Gospels and pulls a small packet of folded papers out of his back pocket.}
Brian Cady: “What we must recognize from today’s Gospel is that, while the Lord invites each and every one of us to follow him, it is certainly a risky relationship to undertake. You have to step out in faith, maybe leaving some old ways behind. What we must learn from Peter’s mistakes in today’s Gospel is to keep our focus on the Lord, and not let our surroundings CONSUME US! Because as the disciples learned, we too must come to understand that Jesus is no ordinary man… he is the SON OF GOD!!”
“Now following Christ might get scary or even difficult at times, but all great adventures involve some risks. You will face criticism, you will face ridicule, and you might even face some hatred. But every single one of us must come to understand, accept and correct a certain part of our lives: our weaknesses.
“When Peter began to sink, it wasn’t because his name translates to the word ‘rock.’ That’s a funny coincidence, but it has NOTHING AT ALL to do with his lack of faith displayed in today’s Gospel. At that very moment when Peter began to sink, he was full of doubt and showing spiritual WEAKNESS!! When you step into any kind of addiction rehab, what are you ALWAYS told is the first step in the healing process? It is admitting you have a problem, a weakness inside of you… that needs to be dragged to the forefront of your priorities and dealt with accordingly.
“Let’s face it my brothers and sisters, at one point or another in ALL of our lives… we have weaknesses and demons that we have to overcome before they CONSUME US. Because if you let those weaknesses and those demons consume you, sometimes… there is no turning back. There is no forgiveness, there is no redemption, and there is NO PENANCE… that you can PAY… that will allow you to return to the good graces of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a simple concept that gets terribly overblown by so many and so much, that they allow those weaknesses and those demons to become ONE WITH THEM! And because of that, my brothers and sisters… they are no longer in the Light of Christ.”
{Cady reaches down behind the pulpit and grabs a bottle water. He takes a quick drink, puts the bottle back on the ground and continues his sermon.}
Brian Cady: “Nobody is perfect, except the Lord. Nobody will judge… except the Lord. NOBODY… will tell us how to repent and live our lives day in and day out… except the Lord. As I stand here before you, I can tell you… that I am not a perfect man. I can honestly… believe that.
“I used to live a life of debauchery, of excess… a materialistic life that did not measure up to the practices and the preaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. I drank, I smoked… heck, and I even dabbled in some illegal narcotics at one point in my life. And sometimes, you have to take some drastic measures… in order to deal with some drastic times in your life. Forget admitting your problems, you must sometimes admit AND RESOLVE those problems all in one step. There is no ‘5-step program,’ my brothers and sisters… once in a while, those problems need to be resolved immediately and forcefully… before they become bigger problems.
“I saw where my life had taken me, and I saw where it was going to lead if I did not STOP!! All of those things that I was doing so wrong to me: mentally, spiritually, physically, emotionally… on every kind of level, anything I did was WRONG in those days. Like I said, NONE OF US… are perfect. Nobody in this world can protect themselves from all evils of mankind. NOBODY… can turn things on and off like a switch, you don’t just turn and look the other way when problems face you. You attack them HEAD ON, and you DEFEAT those problems!!
“No matter what I said, what I did, what I thought… they never stopped cheering. They NEVER… STOPPED… CHEERED!! And because of that, I never stopped… my evil ways. No matter what I said in the magazines, no matter what I did in the bars, no matter what I did in the wrestling, no matter WHAT I DID… in front of the TV cameras… they still cheered. They still laughed like it was A JOKE!!
“They smiled in my face… and why? Why did that happen? Because I was looked at as some dog and pony show, I was looked at as a joke, as a LAUGHING MATTER… and that we cannot allow. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are never EVER the laughing stock. We will always be, and ALWAYS HAVE BEEN, the leaders and the preachers of the Good News. And we will CONTINUE to be that, until death… do us part.
“What we must learn today from Peter, my brothers and sisters is to never run away… from our problems. Never bury or weaknesses in mind and body, but rather… we must face them one-on-one. We must deal with them… one-on-one. We must… ELIMINATE THEM… one-on-one… in order to see the Light of Christ. Because nobody, NOBODY… is bigger… than the Almighty.
“AMEN!!”
Congregation: “AMEN!!”
{Cady walks down the stairs at the front of the pulpit and makes his way back to his pew.}
<><><><><>FADE TO BLACK<><><><><>
<><><><><>FAST FORWARD SEVEN WEEKS<><><><><>
Date: Monday October 31, 2011
Time: 11:03 pm EST
Site: Wells Fargo Arena – Des Moines, Iowa
{Scene: Over the last two months, we have witnessed a dramatic transformation in “The X Effect” Brian Cady. After being known his entire career of 10-plus years for being one of the most lovable & likeable wrestlers in the business, Cady has suddenly shown a mean streak and become one of the newest villains in the WGWF. And now, the former Intercontinental Champion is in the midst of dealing with a difficult loss, at the hands of a man he is very familiar with from over the years – Peter Gilmour.
{We take a look inside the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, and see that the WGWF set is already being taken apart. As we zoom in a little more, we see “The X Effect” sitting at the top of the entrance ramp… just looking around the silent and empty arena.}
Brian Cady: “Throughout my career, there have been very few places where I can rely on getting some peace and quiet: my Church, my hotel room, and the next arena I was about to wrestle in. Being able to find serenity is always a wish that we have in this business, but it always seems to be so close… yet so far. When you finally think you’re within arms-length of that serenity, you leap for it… only to fall flat on your face and being left all alone to start over again.
“That’s the exact feelings I witnessed during my brief retirement of almost 3 months, and now it’s happening all over again nearly 3 months later. I was leading such a hectic life as a professional wrestler for 10 years between all the cards I’ve wrestled for, all of the publicity appearances and all of the dramatic events happening in my personal life… it started to send me into a downward spiral.
“I voluntarily went to a rehab facility for two months back in my original hometown of Albany, New York and tried to remind myself of who the REAL Brian Cady actually was. Yet, as I went to counseling sessions and kept myself quarantined from the ever-evolving real world, I came to realize a very harsh truth: I needed wrestling more than I ever thought I could. When I woke up in the morning, I thought about wrestling. When I went to my counseling sessions, I would tell her everything my therapist was telling me… but I still thought about wrestling. When I sat down with dinner in the mess hall, I would be asked by fellow patients to tell some old stories from my wrestling career. And when I would lie down to fall asleep… do I really need to say it again?
“Now over five years later, after overcoming all of my personal weaknesses and demons, I finally feel whole again. And as I prepare to make my return to the ring tomorrow night on pay-per-view, I am reminded of all the trials and tribulations I have gone through to get back here. I think about what I discovered was missing in my life at the time of my original retirement, and also was missing when I retired again back in early June: my faith.
“It is time for me to preach The Truth, both on a religious and wrestling level. And tonight, inside this very arena, I believed my first witness to The Truth in action… was gonna be Peter Gilmour. He is a man filled with his own weaknesses, his own doubts… about whether or not he truly belongs to compete with the very best this business has to offer. For months on end, he has begged and pleaded to get a chance against the best of the best in the WGWF. Essentially, the little punk reminded me of myself when I was young and impressionable in the business. There’s only one problem – every time I got another chance, I constantly FAILED! And tonight, Gilmour did the exact opposite – for the first time in 4 or 5 matches against me, he walked away… the better man.
“Looking back at those days, I remind myself of the apostle Peter when he was invited by the Lord to walk over to him. The only problem – getting to Jesus meant walking on water in the middle of a rainstorm. Peter started out okay, but once he realized the stormy surroundings and took his focus off the task at hand… he began to sink into the sea. It’s the same way tonight, and I used to tell myself things aren’t all that bad – when I failed, I did it with biblical style to it. I was thoroughly convinced that tonight, Peter would be the first witness of just how much… the truth hurts!! But instead, I reminded myself of no matter how many times I take that first step forward, I keep on getting sent two steps backwards. Wash… rinse… repeat. The pattern has been the same both times I’ve come to this diseased company to wrestle, and now I think it’s time to just let it go.”
{At this point, Cady slumps his head down, as he pulls a cell phone out of his pants pocket. He scrolls through his directory and dials a number, putting the phone up to his ear. Finally, a voice can be faintly heard on the other end.}
Brian Cady: “Hey Adam, it’s Cady. Remember that deal we had discussed a few weeks ago? ….Well forget about it and go fuck yourself, I’m going home.”
{Cady hangs up the phone, puts it back in his pants pocket and continues to just sit on the entrance ramp with his head slumped down.}
<><><><><>TO BE CONTINUED<><><><><>
Date: Sunday August 7, 2011
Time: 10:53 am EST
Site: St. Francis of Assisi – Delaware Avenue Site (Albany, New York)
{Scene: A little over two months ago, the wrestling world saw the end of an era when “The X Effect” Brian Cady announced his retirement. That singular moment brought a sudden and surprise ending to a ten-year career inside the squared circle. Cady retired as one of the most decorated wrestlers to ever come out of upstate New York, with 25 championship reigns and several awards… including the 2002 CwA Wrestler of the Year.
{After announcing his retirement, Cady would rediscover his faith and become a regular parishioner at the church he grew up in… with a few changes. Originally known as Saint James, the parish has now merged with the St. John’s / St. Ann’s parish in downtown Albany due to hard financial times in the diocese. The parish leadership has also changed, along with the way certain are done in the course of the liturgy, yet one thing remained a constant over the years: the fellow parishioners.
{As we take a look inside the Delaware Avenue site of the newly-formed Saint Francis of Assisi parish, we see the 10:30am mass going on as they celebrate the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time.}
Deacon Ray Sullivan: “At this time, I would like to introduce a young man who has not only come back home to the city of Albany, but has also come back to his spiritual home. Giving our Gospel reading and homily for today, the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, please welcome retired professional wrestler Brian Cady.”
{About halfway back, “The X Effect” stands up from his center aisle seat at the end of the pew, straightens out his tie and begins approaching the front of the church to a chorus of cheers. Cady stops at the end of the aisle, bows to the altar and walks around to the left side staircase next to the pulpit. The former WGWF Intercontinental Champion shakes hands with Deacon Sullivan, before turning around and facing the standing congregation. Cady waves to everyone, as the cheering finally dies down and the service continues.}
Brian Cady: “The Lord be with you.”
Congregation: “And also with you.”
Brian Cady: “A reading from the Holy Gospel, according to Saint Matthew.”
Congregation: “Glory to you, O Lord.”
{“The X Effect” goes on to read the Gospel.}
“After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
And precede him to the other side,
While he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
Was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
He came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
‘It is a ghost,’ they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’
Peter said to him in reply,
‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’
He said, ‘Come.’
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
And, beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
And said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’
Brian Cady: “The Gospel of the Lord.”
Congregation: “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.”
{The congregation sits down in their pews, as Cady closes the Book of Gospels and pulls a small packet of folded papers out of his back pocket.}
Brian Cady: “What we must recognize from today’s Gospel is that, while the Lord invites each and every one of us to follow him, it is certainly a risky relationship to undertake. You have to step out in faith, maybe leaving some old ways behind. What we must learn from Peter’s mistakes in today’s Gospel is to keep our focus on the Lord, and not let our surroundings CONSUME US! Because as the disciples learned, we too must come to understand that Jesus is no ordinary man… he is the SON OF GOD!!”
“Now following Christ might get scary or even difficult at times, but all great adventures involve some risks. You will face criticism, you will face ridicule, and you might even face some hatred. But every single one of us must come to understand, accept and correct a certain part of our lives: our weaknesses.
“When Peter began to sink, it wasn’t because his name translates to the word ‘rock.’ That’s a funny coincidence, but it has NOTHING AT ALL to do with his lack of faith displayed in today’s Gospel. At that very moment when Peter began to sink, he was full of doubt and showing spiritual WEAKNESS!! When you step into any kind of addiction rehab, what are you ALWAYS told is the first step in the healing process? It is admitting you have a problem, a weakness inside of you… that needs to be dragged to the forefront of your priorities and dealt with accordingly.
“Let’s face it my brothers and sisters, at one point or another in ALL of our lives… we have weaknesses and demons that we have to overcome before they CONSUME US. Because if you let those weaknesses and those demons consume you, sometimes… there is no turning back. There is no forgiveness, there is no redemption, and there is NO PENANCE… that you can PAY… that will allow you to return to the good graces of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a simple concept that gets terribly overblown by so many and so much, that they allow those weaknesses and those demons to become ONE WITH THEM! And because of that, my brothers and sisters… they are no longer in the Light of Christ.”
{Cady reaches down behind the pulpit and grabs a bottle water. He takes a quick drink, puts the bottle back on the ground and continues his sermon.}
Brian Cady: “Nobody is perfect, except the Lord. Nobody will judge… except the Lord. NOBODY… will tell us how to repent and live our lives day in and day out… except the Lord. As I stand here before you, I can tell you… that I am not a perfect man. I can honestly… believe that.
“I used to live a life of debauchery, of excess… a materialistic life that did not measure up to the practices and the preaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. I drank, I smoked… heck, and I even dabbled in some illegal narcotics at one point in my life. And sometimes, you have to take some drastic measures… in order to deal with some drastic times in your life. Forget admitting your problems, you must sometimes admit AND RESOLVE those problems all in one step. There is no ‘5-step program,’ my brothers and sisters… once in a while, those problems need to be resolved immediately and forcefully… before they become bigger problems.
“I saw where my life had taken me, and I saw where it was going to lead if I did not STOP!! All of those things that I was doing so wrong to me: mentally, spiritually, physically, emotionally… on every kind of level, anything I did was WRONG in those days. Like I said, NONE OF US… are perfect. Nobody in this world can protect themselves from all evils of mankind. NOBODY… can turn things on and off like a switch, you don’t just turn and look the other way when problems face you. You attack them HEAD ON, and you DEFEAT those problems!!
“No matter what I said, what I did, what I thought… they never stopped cheering. They NEVER… STOPPED… CHEERED!! And because of that, I never stopped… my evil ways. No matter what I said in the magazines, no matter what I did in the bars, no matter what I did in the wrestling, no matter WHAT I DID… in front of the TV cameras… they still cheered. They still laughed like it was A JOKE!!
“They smiled in my face… and why? Why did that happen? Because I was looked at as some dog and pony show, I was looked at as a joke, as a LAUGHING MATTER… and that we cannot allow. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are never EVER the laughing stock. We will always be, and ALWAYS HAVE BEEN, the leaders and the preachers of the Good News. And we will CONTINUE to be that, until death… do us part.
“What we must learn today from Peter, my brothers and sisters is to never run away… from our problems. Never bury or weaknesses in mind and body, but rather… we must face them one-on-one. We must deal with them… one-on-one. We must… ELIMINATE THEM… one-on-one… in order to see the Light of Christ. Because nobody, NOBODY… is bigger… than the Almighty.
“AMEN!!”
Congregation: “AMEN!!”
{Cady walks down the stairs at the front of the pulpit and makes his way back to his pew.}
<><><><><>FADE TO BLACK<><><><><>
<><><><><>FAST FORWARD SEVEN WEEKS<><><><><>
Date: Monday October 31, 2011
Time: 11:03 pm EST
Site: Wells Fargo Arena – Des Moines, Iowa
{Scene: Over the last two months, we have witnessed a dramatic transformation in “The X Effect” Brian Cady. After being known his entire career of 10-plus years for being one of the most lovable & likeable wrestlers in the business, Cady has suddenly shown a mean streak and become one of the newest villains in the WGWF. And now, the former Intercontinental Champion is in the midst of dealing with a difficult loss, at the hands of a man he is very familiar with from over the years – Peter Gilmour.
{We take a look inside the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, and see that the WGWF set is already being taken apart. As we zoom in a little more, we see “The X Effect” sitting at the top of the entrance ramp… just looking around the silent and empty arena.}
Brian Cady: “Throughout my career, there have been very few places where I can rely on getting some peace and quiet: my Church, my hotel room, and the next arena I was about to wrestle in. Being able to find serenity is always a wish that we have in this business, but it always seems to be so close… yet so far. When you finally think you’re within arms-length of that serenity, you leap for it… only to fall flat on your face and being left all alone to start over again.
“That’s the exact feelings I witnessed during my brief retirement of almost 3 months, and now it’s happening all over again nearly 3 months later. I was leading such a hectic life as a professional wrestler for 10 years between all the cards I’ve wrestled for, all of the publicity appearances and all of the dramatic events happening in my personal life… it started to send me into a downward spiral.
“I voluntarily went to a rehab facility for two months back in my original hometown of Albany, New York and tried to remind myself of who the REAL Brian Cady actually was. Yet, as I went to counseling sessions and kept myself quarantined from the ever-evolving real world, I came to realize a very harsh truth: I needed wrestling more than I ever thought I could. When I woke up in the morning, I thought about wrestling. When I went to my counseling sessions, I would tell her everything my therapist was telling me… but I still thought about wrestling. When I sat down with dinner in the mess hall, I would be asked by fellow patients to tell some old stories from my wrestling career. And when I would lie down to fall asleep… do I really need to say it again?
“Now over five years later, after overcoming all of my personal weaknesses and demons, I finally feel whole again. And as I prepare to make my return to the ring tomorrow night on pay-per-view, I am reminded of all the trials and tribulations I have gone through to get back here. I think about what I discovered was missing in my life at the time of my original retirement, and also was missing when I retired again back in early June: my faith.
“It is time for me to preach The Truth, both on a religious and wrestling level. And tonight, inside this very arena, I believed my first witness to The Truth in action… was gonna be Peter Gilmour. He is a man filled with his own weaknesses, his own doubts… about whether or not he truly belongs to compete with the very best this business has to offer. For months on end, he has begged and pleaded to get a chance against the best of the best in the WGWF. Essentially, the little punk reminded me of myself when I was young and impressionable in the business. There’s only one problem – every time I got another chance, I constantly FAILED! And tonight, Gilmour did the exact opposite – for the first time in 4 or 5 matches against me, he walked away… the better man.
“Looking back at those days, I remind myself of the apostle Peter when he was invited by the Lord to walk over to him. The only problem – getting to Jesus meant walking on water in the middle of a rainstorm. Peter started out okay, but once he realized the stormy surroundings and took his focus off the task at hand… he began to sink into the sea. It’s the same way tonight, and I used to tell myself things aren’t all that bad – when I failed, I did it with biblical style to it. I was thoroughly convinced that tonight, Peter would be the first witness of just how much… the truth hurts!! But instead, I reminded myself of no matter how many times I take that first step forward, I keep on getting sent two steps backwards. Wash… rinse… repeat. The pattern has been the same both times I’ve come to this diseased company to wrestle, and now I think it’s time to just let it go.”
{At this point, Cady slumps his head down, as he pulls a cell phone out of his pants pocket. He scrolls through his directory and dials a number, putting the phone up to his ear. Finally, a voice can be faintly heard on the other end.}
Brian Cady: “Hey Adam, it’s Cady. Remember that deal we had discussed a few weeks ago? ….Well forget about it and go fuck yourself, I’m going home.”
{Cady hangs up the phone, puts it back in his pants pocket and continues to just sit on the entrance ramp with his head slumped down.}
<><><><><>TO BE CONTINUED<><><><><>
