Here I am, Lord

 

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What's in your shoe?

 

WHAT'S IN YOUR SHOE?

There was a touring theatrical production in town and Father Ignatius had been given complimentary tickets by a parishioner who could not go himself. The priest loved the theatre but had little opportunity to attend because of the costs involved travelling to the big cities where all the big shows took place.

It was a pleasant couple of hours watching an amateur dramatic production putting on a play which one of them had written. It was part comedy part drama which would certainly not make the West End of London or be taken up by any Hollywood producer; but at least it passed the time on a nice summer’s evening.

The following morning, during Sunday Mass, Father Ignatius was surprised to see one of the actors in church. The priest immediately recognised him and was impressed how the man played the role of an injured tennis player and walked with a limp throughout the whole production.

After Mass, he made a point of speaking to the young actor.

“It’s nice to see you here,” he said, “I must say I really enjoyed the play last night. Very funny with a moral lesson too.”

“Thank you so much, Father,” said the actor, “we’re off to Edinburgh for the festival. Wish us luck that we’re successful!”

“I’m sure you will be,” encouraged the priest, “I was particularly impressed at how you maintained that limp throughout the play. Every time you walked you kept limping and never forgot or got out of character. Now that’s real acting!”

“Oh, it’s quite simple, Father,” explained the man, “let me tell you a secret. Before I got on stage I put a little pebble in my shoe. A tiny pebble but it did the trick. Every time I took a step it hurt like hell … and it reminded me to limp and remain in character!”

“Ingenious,” said Father Ignatius.

“Actually, it was a priest I met in Swansea years ago who gave me the idea,” said the actor, “he preached about Paul having a thorn in the flesh. You know … in 2 Corinthians Chapter 12?”

The priest nodded.

The actor continued, “Well, the priest said that we all have a thorn in the flesh. Something always there niggling at us. Some problem or other, some difficulty. Like an illness, or a job we’re not happy in and are stuck there, money problems, marital difficulties … that sort of thing. He said that these problems are like having a little pebble or stone lodged in your shoe. It hurts and you must stop and take it off.

“However … rather than take the pebble out of your shoe, you should treat it as an opportunity to pray to God. Every time your thorn in the flesh comes to mind, hand over the matter to God and trust in Him!”

The priest was impressed at the young man’s attitude to life and his faith in God.

Father Ignatius never saw the man again after that Sunday’s Mass. But he was pleased to note that in time the young actor got discovered and after some minor roles on TV adverts, he eventually landed a part in a successful TV soap.

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Here I Am, Lord (Is the Pope Catholic?)

 

HERE I AM, LORD

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IS THE POPE CATHOLIC?

Fathers Ignatius and Donald drove back from Bishop’s House after an all-day meeting with the Bishop and several other priests from the Diocese. The Bishop had called a conference to discuss dwindling numbers attending church every Sunday.

It was about seven in the evening and the priests looked forward to a light snack and watching football on TV. England was playing Italy in an important game which they just had to win.

As they entered the kitchen they found their housekeeper, Mrs Davenport, still there with her friend Edna Winterton. Now Mrs Davenport was not exactly the brightest star in the firmament, and Edna was even less so.

“Good evening ladies,” said Father Ignatius, “I would have thought you’d retired to your cottage Mrs D …”

“It is far from being a good evening, Father,” she said, “far from it indeed.”

“Something the matter?” asked Father Donald in his pronounced Glasgow accent with a hint of levity in his tone, as he usually did, “have we run out of milk again? Or is it something more dire?”

“This is no laughing matter, Fathers,” continued the housekeeper, “Edna and I have waited for your return and would have waited all night if needs be.”

“What is the problem?” asked Father Ignatius as the two priests sat down at the kitchen table.

“I’ll let Edna tell you, Fathers,” she replied, “better you hear it from the horse’s mouth … not that you are a horse, Edna; or resemble one. It’s a figure of speaking.”

Edna smiled feebly and started to explain. “It’s my niece Father. She’s a lovely girl. Only eighteen and the apple of her parents’ eyes; and mine too. We love her so, don’t we, Mrs Davenport?”

“We sure do, Edna; she’s a lovely girl all right. You’ve never met her, Fathers. She lives in Birmingham with her parents; or rather she did. The shame of it.”

Father Donald was getting impatient looking at his watch about the timing of the football game. He was about to say something when Edna continued. “Well … she is no longer with her parents.”

The priests feared the worst. Father Donald changed mode instantaneously and was about to offer comfort when Edna interrupted again. “She’s gone to University in London … you know, London down South. A real den of iniquity it is, for sure.”

“That London?” quipped Father Donald.

“I don’t understand,” asked Father Ignatius gently.

“Well,” said Edna as she wiped tears from her eyes, “she mixed with the wrong kind sadly for her. She said the Catholic Church is boring with all them Latin words in Mass and she now goes to an Anglican Church in London. Can you imagine, Fathers? One of our own going to another church? Her parents would be spinning in their graves at the news, if they were dead that is!”

Father Donald hid a smile and said nothing. Mrs Davenport joined in. “It is terrible news for sure, Father Ignatius,” she said, “Edna and I have been reciting the Rosary all evening waiting for you. We’ve done it six times I think!”

“Seven,” corrected Edna.

“Yes that’s right,” said Mrs D, “it is terrible news. Especially since our Lord was Catholic and all. And Latin was His language was it not?”

“Actually, he was Jewish,” corrected Father Donald having discovered his impatient streak once again.

“What do you mean?” asked the housekeeper.

“The Catholic Church has ancient and common ties with the Jewish religion,” explained Father Ignatius gently, “the Old Testament is full of writings from the prophets and people like Abraham, Moses, Isaiah and so on. They were all Jews. And so were Jesus and the disciples.”

“But the Pope is Catholic!” declared Mrs Davenport.

“He was the last time I checked,” said Father Donald looking at his watch.

“Look ladies … Edna,” continued Father Ignatius in his usual calm and kind manner, “the Catholic Church developed years later, but let us not concern ourselves with that now. You are worried that your niece is going to an Anglican Church, and no doubt her parents are worrying too. But let us look at another scenario. Would you rather she did not go to church at all?”

“Heavens and the Saints forbid,” Edna said, “her parents would …”

“… be turning in their graves,” mumbled Father Donald.

“The thing is,” Donald continued more seriously, “young people at that age tend to rebel against their parents, society, anything. I’m sure you ladies rebelled in some way or other when you were that age; although I cannot imagine how or what you did!

“The fact is, when you come down to it, this teenager has chosen to go to an Anglican Church. Nothing wrong with that, as Ignatius implied. Better than not going to church at all. At least she still is in the faith. In time, she may return to our Church or not. We’ll wait and see. I doubt it really matters.

“Christianity encompasses many denominations. The Catholics don’t have a monopoly on that. There are many non-Catholics in Heaven, you know. Although some Catholics seem to think we’d be the only one’s there!

“But that’s beside the point. What I advise is that you two, and the girl’s parents, should pray about this. Don’t try to persuade your niece in any way as this might push her away from Christianity altogether. And that wouldn’t be too clever, will it?”

“No Father,” the two women mumbled.

“Good,” he continued, “now … is there anything else, because there’s an important football match due to start soon!”

“So it is OK for her to go to another church?” confirmed Edna, as the two priests nodded gently and left the kitchen.

As they sat in front of the TV Father Donald said, “What a state we’re in. We have an ignorant generation breeding another ignorant generation … was Jesus Catholic indeed!”

“We have a lot of teaching to do,” replied Father Ignatius, “maybe an inter-denominational series of Bible studies sessions …”

And that’s exactly what happened. Father Ignatius contacted a number of vicars and ministers he knew from other denominations, and they set up a series of joint seminars for their various congregations.

Little did that young niece know that she was instrumental in encouraging mutual understanding and unity amongst the various churches of this little Northern town.

EXCERPT FROM "HERE I AM, LORD"

 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8868253072

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