A Thought On Sunday - "At The Heart Of Life"
From the desk of Fr. Ignatius Waters c.p.
Sunday, May 30 2010
When I came to Mount Argus in August 1977 as Rector and Parish Priest, I was very nervous about everything. How was I going to relate to the 60 men in the community (priests, brothers and students) and to all the people in the parish? How could I be a Parish Priest when I’d never even been a curate?
But in the very first week, God spoke in the most unusual way. Fr. John Francis, one of the curates, asked me would I like to do a wedding on the following Saturday just to get me settled. The papers were all in order, the reception was in "The Bunch of Grapes" and the couple would be calling on the Wednesday evening to plan everything. I said "Sure!" even though I wasn't feeling too sure about anything. I had done weddings before but not many, so I studied up the whole thing and armed with my books went down to the parlour on the Wednesday evening to meet the couple. But there was no couple - just a girl on her own called Vera. I said something like, "I'm new here and this is all new to me!" And she said, "Oh it's all new to me, too, Father, and poor Danny (that's the fella!), he's very nervous and hates coming up to these big places. Probably won't come on Saturday, either! But I don't care! Well, I do! Like, you would, wouldn't you?" And I began to wonder, "What has John Francis got me into?"
She was full of questions about everything. Would there be a whole mass or half a mass? Because Danny didn't like kneeling very long! I told her there was no such thing as half a mass. There were loads of other similar questions. Then I had my own question: "Any chance of meeting Danny?" The only hope, she said, was if I would come down to the flat on the Kimmage Rd. "Just come down tomorrow night at eight o'clock" she said "and ring six bells, six bells, and I'll come out, all casual, and I'll say "Oh, you called, Father," all casual, and he'll be there. Like, he could be washing his feet or anything– you wouldn't mind, Father?" "No," says I, "I don't mind as long as I get to meet him!"
Next night (Thursday night) down I went, rang my six bells and out she came, all casual, - well, no, because she didn't have to act at all, - he wasn't there! With the result I began to wonder did he exist! "Oh, I told him you might call and he was very nervous and off he went down the city!" By this time I was having serious doubts about this wedding so I said, "Please let me know, when you know, whether this wedding is on or off." And she said, "Yeh, alright, I'll ring to morrow night." Tomorrow night was Friday night, the eve of the wedding. She rings. "It's off!" she says. Pleased and relieved, I say, "I really think that's wise, I think you're doing the right thing." "Oh yeh," she says, "and says he to me, even though we're not getting married, could we be the same as we were? And I said, 'Certainly not, - a good kick in the behind for him!'"
No wedding, no Bunch of Grapes, but a great lesson for me! It was as if God was saying, "Catch yourself on! Stop taking yourself and your big new job so seriously! You can't do it all and you don't have to do it all. ' You're right it's about relating to people but you can only relate to one person at a time!"
Relationship is at the heart of life itself. It's at the heart of every community, parish and church. Relationship is even at the heart of God. Someway, God is a family of loving relationships and that's what the Trinity is saying to us today.
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