Don't Take This As An Insult, Father...
But I gotta tell ya
Last week I was speaking with a friend who is in the final stages of entering the seminary. Keep in mind that this individual was a rarity not all that long ago... a seminarian under the age of 25. Anyhow, I tread very carefully when I asked him how his fellow seminarians are reacting to the Motu Proprio. He responded with "you gotta be kidding! Almost half of the incoming class are Traddies!"
That got the wheels turnin' in the ol' brain housing group. I've been saying for quite some time that it took 40 years to get things this screwed up, and it'll take years for things to get squared away. The Motu Proprio is by no stretch of the imagination some sort of overnight cure-all.
Then that got me to thinking about my own parish priest, a more humble, holy man you'll never meet. As many of you know, when I wasn't doing so well a few months back, it was this priest who literally and figuratively dropped everything to get to the hospital to give me Last Rites... twice.
As I posted about him last January - "Over the next two days, I was given Last Rites twice by my wonderful, but wishes to remain anonymous, parish priest. I don't remember the 2d Last Rites [they knocked me out for a couple of days because my intestines were swelling out of my body, and they didn't think that the remaining small bowel that was stitched together would "remain viable" as they said. That's when my family was told that I was probably going to die], but on the first one, I remember him being clear, calm and straightforward. He would ask me "Do you understand what I just said?", and "now slowly say your Penance to me". What an excellent priest."
Anyhow, I said to Father last Sunday, "Father don't take this as an insult. Take it as the compliment that it's meant to be. But I don't think you'll ever see a Bishop's Ring. But the young men that you influence now most certainly will wear one someday."
I use to think that Father X came along 100 years too late. Boy, was I wrong. He's here exactly at the right time.
But I gotta tell ya
Last week I was speaking with a friend who is in the final stages of entering the seminary. Keep in mind that this individual was a rarity not all that long ago... a seminarian under the age of 25. Anyhow, I tread very carefully when I asked him how his fellow seminarians are reacting to the Motu Proprio. He responded with "you gotta be kidding! Almost half of the incoming class are Traddies!"
That got the wheels turnin' in the ol' brain housing group. I've been saying for quite some time that it took 40 years to get things this screwed up, and it'll take years for things to get squared away. The Motu Proprio is by no stretch of the imagination some sort of overnight cure-all.
Then that got me to thinking about my own parish priest, a more humble, holy man you'll never meet. As many of you know, when I wasn't doing so well a few months back, it was this priest who literally and figuratively dropped everything to get to the hospital to give me Last Rites... twice.
As I posted about him last January - "Over the next two days, I was given Last Rites twice by my wonderful, but wishes to remain anonymous, parish priest. I don't remember the 2d Last Rites [they knocked me out for a couple of days because my intestines were swelling out of my body, and they didn't think that the remaining small bowel that was stitched together would "remain viable" as they said. That's when my family was told that I was probably going to die], but on the first one, I remember him being clear, calm and straightforward. He would ask me "Do you understand what I just said?", and "now slowly say your Penance to me". What an excellent priest."
Anyhow, I said to Father last Sunday, "Father don't take this as an insult. Take it as the compliment that it's meant to be. But I don't think you'll ever see a Bishop's Ring. But the young men that you influence now most certainly will wear one someday."
I use to think that Father X came along 100 years too late. Boy, was I wrong. He's here exactly at the right time.
posted by Kevin Whiteman at
6:14 AM
2 Comments:
vir..
The priest who gave you last rites--God puts us where we can do the most good for Him. Having a Bishop's Ring will not get you to Heaven, but giving love and Last Rites--that's where the rubber meets the pavement. I'm glad he's not a Bishop, so he could lovingly administer to you in your illness. I'm glad you were healed--so you can keep blogging.
Never knew you were sick. Sorry to hear about the really rough patch for you and your family. Glad you are still among us. You are very blessed to have a good priest looking out for you! Sounds like he's doing what he signed up for.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home