One Tired Priest...

By The Communion Veil -




I went to Holy Confession yesterday - they were having a 12 hours of grace of confessions, Father Eric Johnson was in the church (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) hearing confessions. I came after work so I didn't get there till about 6:30 p.m. - confessions ended at 8 p.m. When I walked up to Fr. Eric I was smiling because I was happy to see him and then I saw how tired he was.   By the look in his eyes and his posture - I could tell immediately he had been there a while. Concerned, I asked if he was alright, and he said he was.

Then the beautiful sacrament began, and something wonderful happened! It was like Father Eric was given a special grace, bolstered by the sacrament and he no longer looked tired anymore - he was totally present, attentive, along with someone else, our Lord, I could feel it.  As I listened to his instruction I could see the compassion in his eyes and it hit me how much he was giving to me, he was giving all, not because it was his job, but because of a deep love for God and for me. Me, someone he just met not very long ago. 

As I walked away after absolution this realization hit me, he had not only given this all for me, but all those before me and the ones that would come after would get the same 100% from him. I so wanted to help him in some way, but how? I wondered if he had gotten anything to eat at all during these long hours, if he was hungry or thirsty. But I knew there was nothing I could physically do for him, because I knew that at this moment the sacrament was more important to him than food or drink, or even rest. So as I prayed my penance, I wondered what I could do - the only thing I could do was to  pray for for him that God would help him with whatever he must do to be our Priest.

This is why we love our Priests, because even if they don't realize it, we DO SEE and appreciate what they give for us - they give all. 

Thank you Father Eric, thank you for being one of God's Priests and giving me such a beautiful gift in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for I realize that in giving all sometimes doesn't mean giving your life, sometimes it means sitting in a hard chair for hours so that souls can receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and will not be lost.  God Bless you. 

Comments

  1. Fr Seán Coyle7:51 pm, March 18, 2013

    Thank you, Adele, for this affirmation of the Sacrament of Confession/Penance/Reconciliation. while preparing a post for today, the Solemnity of St Joseph, I came across this encouraging notice on the website of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires, where Pope Francis has been Archbishop since 1998: The website of the Cathedral gives this encouraging information:

    CONFESIONES - CONFESSIONS
    Lunes a Viernes - Monday to Friday: 9.45 a 13.15 - 14.30 a 17.30.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shirelands Goldadors1:08 pm, March 20, 2013

    Thankyou Adele..

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem
Read more

'Greater Love: Richie Fernando SJ', a joy-filled Filipino missionary

By -
Image
 I haven't been able to post for more than a week as I was giving an eight-day directed retreat to eight sisters of the Missionaries of Charity near Manila. While I had some access to the internet it was rather slow. I had intended to make a post here on the murder of Fr Fausto Tentorio PIME , a 59-year-old Italian priest, in the Diocese of Kidapawan, Mindanao, on Monday 17 October. I will save that post for a later date. As I was looking for a video about Father Fausto I came across one about Brother Richard Michael 'Richie' Fernando SJ, a Filipino Jesuit scholastic who died while trying to prevent a troubled and disabled young man in Cambodia from throwing a grenade. That was in 1996 - on 17 October. Father Fausto gave his life exactly 15 years later. I remember the mixture of sorrow and pride I felt when I read of the death of Brother Richie, pride as a missionary in the Philippines that a young Filipino seminarian had given his life so spontaneously in order to sav
Read more

Why Modesty Is Not Subjective

By -
Image
Hi there, ya'll!  The modest fashion world is one very diverse place.  Even among Catholics, the definition of "modest apparel" can vary greatly from person to person.  Recently I joined a Facebook group that advertised itself as a haven for Catholic women of all ages to share ideas for modest style and makeup and was hoping to learn more about modesty from my fellow Catholic sisters.  After a few days of being a member, though, I sadly left the group feeling a bit discouraged.  No two members seemed to agree on ANY aspect of modesty whatsoever, and the prevailing theme of the whole group was that modesty is subjective, it means something different for each woman and each woman gets to decide what she considers is "modest".  One woman very emphatically declared that she wears bikinis every summer to the beach and doesn't feel that this violates the virtue of modesty in the least.  The same woman also announced that she was never going to caution her d
Read more