“Father I was off to school and I noticed there’s a woman at the back of the church crying loudly …”
“Thank you Henry … it’s good of you to tell me …” said the priest calmly, “you go to school … I’ll deal with it …”
Moments later the priest entered the empty church and walked towards the back. He approached the woman and sat calmly on the pew a few feet away from her.
She raised her head and got up from a kneeling position and sat down. Father Ignatius had never met her before. She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and stopped crying loudly.
She looked at him and said:
“I’m sorry Father to make such a scene in church …”
He smiled and said nothing for a second or two … then he said gently, “If Jesus was here with you right now … do you know what He would say?”
She shook her head and wiped her nose with the handkerchief.
“He would say ‘Peace be with you’ … those would be His first words as a start …”
He stopped for a while, and then continued, “and slowly, His peace would be upon you and you would slowly calm down …
“And then you would get to know, and realize, perhaps for the first time … that He truly loves you and cares for you …
“Because Jesus loves us all … individually … each according to his or her needs …”
“Even me?” she asked calming down a little.
“Especially you …” continued Father Ignatius, “He cares for you as a child of God … and no matter what hurts you right now, He shares that pain and wishes to help you relieve it … all you need do is trust Him and speak to Him freely … He will lead you to His peace as He has done to so many others …”
“Thank you Father …” she said, “that’s very helpful.”
“In the meantime,” continued Father Ignatius, “if there is anything I can do to help … let me know … when you’re ready of course …”
“No thanks Father … I think I’ve just witnessed Jesus’ presence …”
And with that she left the church with a lighter heart.
She has been back to church every Sunday ever since … and no one knows the reason for her upset on that day she first met Father Ignatius.
...a lesson that too many conservative Christians still need to learn. Peace be with you.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, we need peace always.
DeleteGod bless, Tom.
What a lovely man.
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased you enjoyed this Father Ignatius story, Liz.
DeleteGod bless you.
Dearest Victor,
ReplyDeleteA great and foremost Fatherly way of calming her upset soul in a LASTING way...
Hugs,
Mariette
Sometimes when we're troubled we need calm as a first step. Thank you Mariette.
DeleteGod bless you and yours.
💞
DeleteIf Father Ignatius were a real person he would eventually be considered for sainthood.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice thing to say, Kathy. Thanx. The character is based on a number of priests I have known - now sadly departed. Some of the stories are based on real events. Like this one.
DeleteGod bless, Kathy.
Father Ignatius has such a calming influence and knows what to say.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's true, Bill. Thank you so much.
DeleteGod bless you and your family.
Your special teaching tool works very well. THANKS. I have grown to really appreciate Father Ignatius.
ReplyDeleteSherry & jack (smiling)
Thanx Jack. The character is written in honour of some lovely priests I knew years ago. This story really happened. I was the young boy who called the priest when I saw this woman crying in church. Years later, I met her in a shop in town. I did not recognise her. She recognised me and came over to thank me. She said that on that day I helped her from a very difficult situation by calling the priest. She did not tell me what her difficult situation was.
DeleteGod bless you and Sherry.
And so it was, forever to remain between her and our heavenly Father. How I enjoy when you write about Fr. Ignatius. For some reason he reminds me of Robert Young in that 50's TV show, "Father Knows Best." (no pun intended!)
ReplyDeleteThis is a true story, Mevely. I was that young boy. See my comment to Jack above.
Delete"Father Knows Best" was never shown on British TV as far as I remember. It must have been a great show from what you say.
I'm writing another Fr Ignatius novel due soon.
God bless you, Mevely.
God uses you in a great way through Father Ignatius stories! God Bless You.
ReplyDeleteYou are so very kind to me, Happyone. Thank you.
DeleteGod bless.
Back in the days when churches were left open, I used to sneak into the Catholic one near the park opposite the hospital and just sit there in the cool and quiet. I would look around at the polished pews, the statues and stained glass windows and feel the quiet settling within me. To this day, deeply polished wood furniture is one of my favourite things.
ReplyDeleteIt is a good thing to visit God in church.
DeleteGod bless, River.
This story was a blessing to me today, thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Mimi, for what you said.
DeleteMay God bless you always.