The Reverend Don Giuseppe
By Laila Bouinidane
2024
All names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this story are fictitious. No identification with actual persons - living or deceased- is intended
FOREWORD
Life has
become so shallow, so meaningless that family bonds have become void of their
sanctity and of the moral values that used to bring relatives close to each
other. Respect, unconditional love, understanding, sincerity, solidarity,
these have become often just foggy words that fly in the sky of treason,
disrespect, deceit, disdain, ego centrism, hypocrisy and solitude.
Have you ever thought of forgetting your past, choosing a new
name, new garments, to start a new life where there is no such filthy beings,
no deviation from the righteous path and no hideous intentions.
Oliver was given the opportunity to bury his past with the
help of his boss and adoptive father « the Reverend Father David ». Once Oliver was convinced that he could minister to God, give Him
the best of his praise, worship and devotion, his tutor handed him three pieces
of paper, of which he had to choose, the first was bearing the name « Daniel », the second
« Giuseppe » and the third « Francesco ». If one had the
choice to choose another name other than his birth name, which one would him or
her choose?
Henceforth, Oliver is baptized as « Giuseppe », a name chosen for him by father David. Oliver would wear long-sleeved neutral colored garments with a loose belt at the
waist. That would be the beginning of a trip in the ministry of God. He climbed
the ranks in priesthood starting with a deacon, then a full ordained
priest holding the title "The Reverend Don Giuseppe".
Dozens of gullible sinners come to whisper to his ear from behind a
wooden fence. « Bless me brother for I have sinned .. » they start relating
various unbelievable misdeeds that Giuseppe had to absolve: « I am sorry
for all my sins.. » then, they wait for absolution. For Oliver or Giuseppe, this reflects the core nature of the sinful souls and the rate of wickedness that is spreading with the spiritual darkness of our age.
As the disheartening events unfold, Oliver becomes, reeling for years, in search for the truth that is worth probing. As he was trying to preach his gospel inviting sinners to pray earnestly, prompt repentance and turn them to righteousness, he discovers the truth about his life.
Never had Oliver thought one day that his ancestors were
not Christians. As he was always giving courses and messages on Christianity in
his ministry, he strived, all the way, too hard to hide his skepticism towards Muslims. His staunch rejection of that religion was quenched as he chose to face reality and delve into the staggering spiritual world.
Many insane people were undertaking attacks in the name of Islam. People from other
religions came to abhor it without knowing that in each faith there are two
extremes and there exists the in-between. Real Islam is that of moderation and tolerance away from violence and extremism.
Oliver, now named Giuseppe, who made a vow to forget his past, will discover
his unknown origins and through them the quintessential truth about the misconceptions and prejudices that man can inflict on others.
The Church of
The Church of St John is a hallmark dating back to the Victorian era, built centuries ago with walls of light grey bricks. The roof slopes down supported by twin buttresses, topped with a bell tower crowned with a big cross. The main entrance, made of shiny marble, is decorated with statues of the blessed Virgin and St. Joseph and other archangels. Special wings for private services and daily Mass overlook other features of the interior mainly a wide library, a special confessional corner and a bride’s room.
The lower level of the church lodges other amenities like a dining room and a lodging building. The walls are always adorned with a cross.
One side of the church contains a primary school admitting pupils for catholic education each morning. The right wing of it is an institute that looks more like a laboratory or a bee hive where meetings and high events take place.
The Inside of the church features a high wooden ceiling and magnificent colorful glass windows. The choir and entrance are made in a matchless Gothic style of the Victorian age, with arches, pillars topped with a whole range of ornaments from human statues and animal heads. The atmosphere is interrupted by the ringing of bell chimes heard on a daily basis and the accompanying piano music for worship provided by a special artist.
At the farthest end of the convent, an arched wall adorned with spiritual statues of saints and effigies, expressive archangels and crosses leads to the dormitory of sisters where Mother Magdalena was agonizing in her bed and words would
hardly be uttered in her mouth. Teresa held a little glass of water and poured few
drops in her mouth to help her gain her breath.
« Oliver, Oliver.. » Repeated Magdalena.
«Giacomo, please, call brother Giuseppe.» shouted Teresa.
The man in the long garment stepped quickly outside the
room to call Oliver. Few minutes later, the latter appeared carrying his
cross and muttering few words from the bible at Magdalena's head.
« The box.. » she uttered with great pain.. her hand pointing
towards a drawer.
Teresa checked inside it, she found a box which she put on
the bed near Magdalena's head.
« Give .. it .. to .. Oliver » Came the verdict from the mouth of Magdalena.
Teresa gave the box to Oliver. He opened it, saw a picture of
a lady with a small baby, a golden chain with a pendent with a transcription in
it that reads « Da madrinha » which he did not understand.
« What is this ? » asked Oliver with in-satiated curiosity.
« Giovanna.. your mother.. gave me the box .. to give it to you.» whispered mother
Magdalena and her soul went out with it. She died before finishing what she had
to say.
Mother Magdalena, or Matthias as her birth name indicates in her young age, met Oliver’s
mother who was pregnant at that time. When Giovanna gave birth to Oliver, she
trusted Matthias with her child and the box and fled from the church. She could
not cope up with the rules of the church. Giovanna was still young to bury her life in
a religious building. Oliver was adopted by Magdalena and received his
education at the church until he became of age, he decided to dedicate his life
to the ministry of God.
Oliver shed endless tears after his adoptive mother died. He yelled : « Mother, Mother.. » he shook her for a while and realized that she gave her soul to her creator.
Oliver would never forget Matthias' voice as she was coaxing Oliver, in his five years of age, into sleep singing him the lovely Christmas song:
Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yo Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace...
La la la la, la la la la!
La le la, la le la!!
Oliver took the box, not making head or tail of what she was trying to say. Tears were streaming all along his cheeks, after loosing what he considered his real mother.
The church was drowned in sorrow with the feeling of a big loss. Oliver sat at the hall near a fountain adorned with seven little angels spitting water from their mouths. He asked:
« Giacomo, order a funeral service for tomorrow. Let the bell chimes. Mother Magdalena used to like to hear them when she was alive. She used to say that she found their sounds melodious and sweet».
The bells were ringing continuously soothing Oliver's pain. The sounds were wiping away fond thoughts with the fading sun farewell beams, the bells cooled down gradually with the shadow of the night.
The following day, a funeral service was carried on with Father Daniel, Oliver and other members of the Church, where excerpts from the bible were read and prayers done in honor of Mother Magdalena. They took the coffin to the graveyard to finish the burial ceremony.
Oliver looked desperately to the sky conjuring every moment he lived near Mother Magdalena, his adoptive mother. He was looking for some enlightening ray of hope to cheer him up amidst the lugubrious event.
The Confession
Having buried Mother Magdalena, Oliver was pondering over all what happened, opening the box, meditating on the photo inside it, then he found a letter, he quickly skimmed through it as quickly as possible, to find out its content. It was signed by the initials (Y.F). It was a love letter to Giovanna.
He still recalls Matthias’ words like a hammer to his ear « Giovanna ..your
mother ». He was thinking if his real mother was that lady in the photo to whom the
letter was sent his real mother?
He kept on examining the box, at the bottom of which, he found a card of a jeweler called Yassir Fateh. The shop was located in Tuscany in Italy. His fingers went through a chain with a pendent with a transcription that was inside the box. He went to decipher what was written in it with the help of "brother Pietro" who was good at translations.
« This is written in Portuguese brother » replied Pietro.
« Please tell me what does it mean . I am curious to
know » asked Oliver.
« Da madrinha means from your godmother.. this is a baptism
chain to protect its holder, brother ! » came the reply like thunder
to his ears.
« Okey.. thank you brother for your help. » muttered Oliver making a getaway.
While he was crossing the corridor to the main entrance of
the church, Oliver remembered years ago, when a lady came to confess to him.
The lady’s whispers were like calls to Oliver. He recalled them again and
again. He felt her words touching his heart as if he knew the lady so much so he never forgot that confession. She was beseeching redemption from her sin as if ready to die for forgiveness.
He came to hear those whispers in his sleep, dreaming of the
shade of a lady whispering to him from behind the wooden fence :
« Bless me brother for I have sinned ..I abandoned my
baby in this church.. many years ago..I was at a bath in Tuscany and met a man
there, we loved each other but he was married, I left him but realized I was
pregnant and could not handle that.. I gave birth here to a lovely boy but I
was young to deal with it, I just left him here and went to
live my life as I wished.. Now my son is not recognizable to me. I am sorry brother for my sins. Please .. »
Those words came to his mind again and again, he heard them
in his ears continuously, he became like obsessed with them. He heard many confessions with many sins that one can never forgive or forget, but that confession went directly to his heart.
Was that a curse or a spell, he kept wondering and reciting
biblical quotes he learnt by heart.
Was that a confession from his mother. Was that his real
mother. Was he the famous baby abandoned in the church, after all he never knew his true parents. He had traits and skin tint that was a little darker than that of a local Italian. Oliver was too absent minded .. He just prayed to God and made a wish
to clear the confusion that was in his mind and heart.
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Oliver’s half brother
Oliver took the card of the jewelry shop and decided to look for its location.
He took permission from the father David to go on a trip.
Once in Tuscany, he took a taxi to the location. At long last, the shop was well located at the center of the town, adorned with big flower pots. At the entrance,
he stood watching the inside with scrutiny. There was a big portrait of a
bearded man with grey hair. The man’s complexion was different from the Italian
men. He was a little brown with big black eyes. He seemed to be like a middle eastern man.
« Can I help you, sir ? » asked a manly voice
from the right corner. there was a young man with almost the same complexion
as that in the portrait with a slight difference. He had a dark tint and the same eye brows as in the portrait. The young man was carrying a rosary but it was a different from a christian one. It had no cross, only big beads looking like genuine green emeralds. the scent of incense was being diffused in the shop, taking you to a trip to the far middle east.
« Is Mr Yasser Fateh here ? » asked Oliver looking around the shop.
« Do you know him ? » asked the young man.
« No, I need to talk to him » said Oliver looking sharp and concise.
« Who shall I tell him ? » asked again the
young man.
« Giuseppe. » said Oliver rolling the ten fingers of his hands.
« If I can help you in any way..because Mr. Fateh was my
father. He just died a month ago ». answered the young man confidently.
Oliver looked shocked and baffled. The young man was
insisting to know who Giuseppe was.
« I am Ahmed, son of Yasser Fateh, the new owner of the
shop now, if you need my father for trade or some business, I can deal with
you » asked Ahmed again.
Oliver, who was carrying the box in his hands, let the
rectangular thing slip from his grasp. The box was shattered on the floor and
opened letting all the contents scatter on the ground.
Ahmed striving to help Oliver, took the pendent, the photo of Giovanna with her baby and
looked at Oliver in dismay.
« Do you know this lady ? » asked Ahmed fixing his brother with his eyes wide open.
« I am here to ask about her » answered Giuseppe.
Ahmed sat with Oliver at the Guest room. He knew now who the lady and Oliver were.
« I am your brother, Oliver ! My father is your
father and your mother was in Tuscany for some work. She met our father in the hot springs of Saturnia, our dad told me everything about her before his death. Her
foot slipped on a rock and our father helped her as she
stumbled and fell. That was their first meeting. Then, she came to buy some jewelry around here and entered
our shop. To her surprise, my father was the owner and that was their second
meeting by chance. Our father gave her his business card but they were deeply
in love with each other they sustained their relationship and she gave birth to
you as a consequence. My father told me that she's now married to another man » related Ahmed.
Oliver looked mouth-opened not knowing what to say. He knew from
Ahmed that his father was a Muslim man that migrated to Tuscany from India. Ahmed himself
is a Muslim man. Oliver had long had avoided dealing with Muslims.
His brother took his hand and asked if he wanted to drink something.
« No, I have to go to the hotel. » answered Oliver.
« Why don’t you come to my house, that is our father’s
house after all » said Ahmed.
« I will go back to Rome quickly so I am not staying for long here. » answered Oliver .
« Where is your hotel ? » asked Ahmed.
« El Santo Pietro» said Oliver.
Ahmed was sorry that his brother did not know his father
before, he offered dropping him at the hotel.
« Don’t bother, Ahmed, I know my way » said Oliver.
Ahmed asked him to wait as he had something to give him.
After a while, Ahmed came with an envelope that he found in
his father’s office.
« I knew about you even before my father’s death, I read
the letter she sent him long ago and kept it a secret lest my mother be angry » said
Ahmed.
Oliver opened the envelope he found his mother’s picture and
a letter she sent to his father, informing him that he had a son she left at
the St John’s Church.
« Our father told me to find you and to give you your
share of the heritage. It was just a matter of time, I cannot deny your rights to the legacy, because you are my brother » said Ahmed.
« Thank you but that is not important for
me ! I just came to know about my mother and clarify certain things. » said Oliver.
Ahmed hugged his brother with a lot of warmth, shedding tears
and giving him his number in case he needs help.
Oliver asked him where he can find his mother. Ahmed gave him
a phone number in Portugal he found in his father’s dairy with the name of his
mother. Another name was handwritten beside it.
« that’s all I can do to help you, if I can do more do
not hesitate to ask » said Ahmed.
« Thank you brother » said Oliver gratefully.
The phone number was actually his aunts’ phone number, who
used to arrange secret meetings between his father and his mother at her house.
Oliver went back to Rome before deciding what to do next. Then,
he was examining the second box with great interest, he took the letter his mother sent to his father and read it :
Dear Yasser,
Happy new year.. I make only one wish on this occasion is to see you again .. I can’t forget all the moments we spent together, I am always thinking of you and of the first day we met and how our relationship evolved quickly, our son Oliver starts crawling, he has your eyes. Whenever I see him I think of you. But I cannot spend the rest of my life in the church, I should leave here soon. I hope to see you again soon.. I love you
Your beloved, Giovanna
Oliver was really perplexed what to do, he took the piece of
paper where the name of his mother and aunt Patrizia were handwritten with a phone
number in Portugal.
He knows it will take time to go to Portugal and he thought if
he’s resolved to see his mother he should call first his aunt Patricia.
Oliver took the phone, his hand was shaking out of
nervousness, what shall he tell his aunt, how will he introduce himself. He started dialing the number then hang out.
Oliver went to see father David, he told him the whole story seeking some advice.
« Parents have responsibilities towards their children, in the same way, children should be obedient and respectful towards their parents. May the lord bless you and guide you to the good
decision » said father David.
Oliver prayed to God to guide him to take the right decision. He felt so tired he slept on the sofa with the lights on.
The first and last family dinner
The following day, he took his phone and dialed the number.
It rang twice, then answered a soft and quiet voice : « Hello, Patricia's speaking! ».
« Hello, yes. » replied Oliver with a long pause.
« Hello, who’s speaking ? » asked again
Patricia.
After a long pause and just before Patricia hangs up, Oliver
resumed :
« Patricia ! this is Oliver» he said breathing
heavily.
« Oliver who ? » she said.
« I want to see Giovanna, my mother ! » answered he, unsure of her
reaction, waiting for her to hang up.
« Oliver, my little boy ? what came over you ? how
are you doing ? » she almost sobbed.
« I Am fine, where is my mother ? » asked Oliver the existential question.
« She is fine, your mum is fine, she lives not far from
here, with her husband » came her reply.
Patricia tried to sound very warm and welcoming, Oliver did not expect
such a reaction at first.
She asked Oliver to pay a visit to her soon, because she
needed to see him and talk to him.
« I will do so, but can you tell her about me ?» said Oliver with a constricted throat and suffocated voice.
Oliver promised to keep in touch with his aunt and get news
about his mum from her.
Patricia talked to his mum the same day and announced the
news to her. The latter was dumbfounded. She was surprised to hear from him, then asked where he was. Giovanna knows why her heart were beating the whole day because those heart beats were linked to Oliver's.
She wished to see her son since a long time but she did not know who he was nor if one day they will meet. The news came as a sudden surprise to her.
« Will he come ? did you tell him to
come ? » asked she with great eagerness.
« yes, of course, I know you’ll wish to see him after
all this time. » answered Patricia.
Oliver became upset and was really missing his mother, although he never saw her. He concentrated less on the writings he nourished his blog with. In order for him to focus on his ministry, he needed to go to see his mother once and for good.
He bought a ticket to Porto the following day and started
packing his hand bag. He told father David and Giacomo that he will be absent for
few days.
The big day has come and Oliver was very excited and eager to
know the woman who gave birth to him. How was she, How will she receive him,
How will his aunt help him to meet her, what will he say to them, what will be
their reaction at his sight. All these questions were echoed in his mind like a
hammer.
He talked again to his aunt Patricia and told her the time he
will be arriving, she promised him a good meal and other surprises.
On that day, the taking off of the plane was delayed, Oliver
was waiting nervously for the take-off, unfortunately, he will arrive later that
expected.
He was trying to be patient although his fingers were shaking
out of nervousness.
The plane captain announced the takeoff to the relief of all
the passengers. After more than three hours, he informed the passengers of the
near arrival :
« This is the captain of flight "TP6350", we wish to
inform all passengers that we will be arriving in 15 minutes to "Francisco Sa
Carneiro", in Porto. We thank all the passengers for choosing this company to
fly to Portugal. We will be disembarking in about 25 minutes, please keep
your belts locked and ensure that you don’t forget your handbags or cabin
luggage in the overhead lockers.. Thank you ».
Oliver’s heart was beating as if he’s about to
disembark on a new life again. He was wondering « what if you broke with
your past and you were asked years afterwards if you’d like to cast a look at
it again » he smiled and regained his strength.
On that evening, there was a capturing scenery of the sunset in Porto. The city looked like a blushing bride on a sunny day. There was a mellow hue in the sky, overlooking the Ponte Infante Dom Henrique, linking Porto to Gaia, through which vehicles cross to the other side, giving visitors the chance to be cuddled by the breeze of the Douro River underneath and welcomed by the squeaky sounds of excited seagulls.
That feeling was alone likely to perk up Oliver who was hiring a taxi from the airport to Pinafiel, where his aunt
was dwelling. It was almost sunset when the taxi stopped at the destination. Olivers' feet touched the ground, staggering at first out of weariness, then he felt at ease and
self-confident.
He stepped forward, opened a gate that was ushering visitors to an entrance. He stepped all along the way to the door, peeped for a while at the beautiful
garden of the house, studded with various colorful flowers, lilac trees where was a beautiful blue-eyed cat lurking on a bush, cleaning its fur, licking it heedlessly with the gentle breeze in the air snubbing every intruder, then Olivers' feet pushed the ground in defiance standing upright and gathering his stiffened shoulders then relaxing them from tension in a move as if about to face the unknown, and before he rings the bell, the door opened.
A lady in her fifties with little grey hair and eye glasses
over her nose, wearing a long sleeved taupe and ashy robe with a grey shoulder
cape hanging over her arms, was standing at the door, stretched her hand towards Oliver
with a smile.
He looked at her not sure if she was his aunt and said « Hey, Patricia ?».
« Hey Oliver, how you doing » she hugged him and
took him inside.
Oliver saw a young man in his thirty’s greeting him, he
talked openly to Oliver.
« Hi, am Gregory, your cousin » said the young man.
« Hi, nice to meet you » answered Oliver
discovering his family one after the other at long last.
He saw a teenager girl called Giulia who greeted him too.
At the corner, a lady who looked a bit older than Patricia, with ashy grey hair
wearing a beige skirt with greenish sweater and a head scarf in her neck,
looked hesitant and her mouth almost open, stood then moved in unsure steps towards
Oliver.
« Oliver, my son.. Oh Oliver, you are finally here! » she whispered.
It was the same whisper of the lady in the church
confessing the loss of her son and asking absolution for abandoning him.
« Yes, mother, yes am Oliver.» he answered.
She took him in her arms and hugged him rubbing her chest
again him as if recalling his scent or afraid to loose him again.
« Oliver, how I miss you .. my baby.. Am so sorry..
I lost you. You are back to me.. Thank God!» she rubbed his hair and her hands were going all over his
complexion, as if remembering her baby. They united like one soul.
She was shedding tears, which he wiped with his sleeves to comfort her and
asked her :
« You came to do confession, in the church, isn't it?»
« You were the one.. » her eyes were wide open
« to receive my confession » she went on all the more
surprised.
« Yes.. I prayed for you .. I felt you.. I felt your words inside my heart, no matter what happens I want you to know that I will be by your side» he reassured her.
Patricia served them meal together at the dining room, then
they sat on the sofa near the hearth, fire was lit to give them more warm on a
freezing evening.
They spent hours speaking to each other, reflecting on memories and relating their
stories. She was telling him her story with Jeremy:
« I was still young, I wanted to live my life, I thought
your father will not marry me, I started working at a hotel in Porto. One
day, I was going out of work and needed to walk a little bit.
I went down town as usual I take the path, past the national theater, and stepping down the through Santa Catarina towards the Bolhao Mercato where I run errands sometimes.
As I was crossing Santa Catarina, a street singer grabbed my
attention, his voice was very enchanting indeed. I stood there to applaud him at the
end of the song.
I was really happy that day, my face was twinkling and my
body was well fitting in a purple dress and a blue hat over my head. As I was
applauding the singer, I noticed a man was taking me in photos. He was like a
photographer. My cheeks blushed and I left immediately to the market to do my
errands.
Several weeks later, I was surprised that my photos made a
buzz in the social media as the lady that charmed the famous talent
hunter, Jeremy Reynolds, Owner of the brand Reynolds for fashion. He likes photography and made a comment about my photos as the charming lady of the day.
I made a comment on my photos. Jeremy replied back and offered me the job as a top model. I was at my thirty years of age. Now, Jeremy and I, are husband and wife.»
« Oh, I see!» said Oliver not knowing what to say.
« Now, my son, if you want to come and live with us, you
are most welcome .. I can compensate for all the years I left you
behind » said she in a desolate voice.
« My life is in the Church, mother, I minister for the
lord. I would rather, ask you, if you wish to follow me there » he
answered.
« It is true I no more work as a model now, but Jeremy,
I cannot leave him alone » said Giovanna.
Oliver could not sleep that night, he was thinking about all
the new events and went back to Rome the following day.
« Please, Oliver do not forget me, I miss you, forgive
my lack of responsibility but you are my only son » said Giovanna to her
son.
Back to the life of worship
As Oliver’s life was dedicated to the lord, he resumed his
functions in the church as soon as he arrived with more diligence and more
sacrifice. He resumed writing articles on his website, spiritual poetry, prose and
songs. His articles have been dealing mainly with the end of times, prophecies,
articles that were more of musings, meditations and content about saints, angels,
insights and revelations on Armageddon, righteous and unrighteous deeds and so on.
Later on, he would give courses to new comers about
Catholicism and Christianity. He would teach them the stages of a mass.
He presided a mass at the church and read stories from the
bible then explained to them the gist of each story, then followed the penitential act and creed
before starting the bread and wine celebration, reciting the prayers. Then
they proceeded to the hand shaking in a « sign of peace ».
Oliver ended the mass with the « final blessing ». Some new Christians go back to ask him questions and guidance on religious issues they still do not know.
He strives to give everyone more than enough time to answer their queries with diligence and respect.
Being the Reverend Don Giuseppe is no easy task. Each function has its price and principles.
Oliver has to be modest and easy going to deal with people from various walks of life and characters in the most eloquent and humane way possible. For that, one has to be well qualified with good traits. One should treat others the way he likes to be treated.
Oliver realizes, each day, how individuals have become blunt in their behavior. The grotesque behavior of some people is not only attributed to biological traits or man's inherent nature but to many factors that come into play. The education, rearing up, the surroundings or conditions where the individual was raised, life experiences and mental health. All these factors may lead to catastrophic disorders like anti-social ones or bi-polar ones.. etc.
Unfortunately, Oliver cannot deal with the mental health of people, he is there to listen to confessions, to give advice, to sow the seeds of love and help individuals turn back to God away from being under duress.
Reflecting on the core nature of individuals leaves Oliver oft clueless on the backdrop of the staggering spiritual world, one that is full of temptations, where men and women can easily bite the bait and be lured into their certain decay.
Excess of many anti-social behaviors constitutes one of the great tribulations of our modern time, in the sense that it can lead to turmoil in society which cannot tolerate such unacceptable conducts. Crimes becoming rife, nowadays, is a fact that is threatening to cause a decline in the notion of community, and spreading a feeling of lack of ease in society.
Hearing confessions, each day, is like digging deep into a well full of unrevealed hideous secrets of society, heart-breaking ones, or watching an endless daily series of horrific episodes, where evil takes the lead and dances heroically in utter defiance.
Oliver tries in as much as he can to redress what he can redress in a peace-meal fashion.
Confessions can be sometimes upsetting, when you receive tormented souls that seek solace in expressing regret with tears and the feeling of guilt is chasing them from inside. The sinners try to erase and kill their sins and the feeling of shame overcoming them to relieve their consciousness, and yet, they can sometimes fall back into the same sin again and again. It is that feeling of wanting to remove that bloody sin to undo the guilt.
The priest is, after all, himself only a human endowed with feelings and courage to say "yes" to his ordination to serve the lord, giving up power, pleasure, prestige and choosing a life of celibacy and sacrifice. It is, therefore, not so much a function than a call.
A priest is not a perfect man or a saint, he himself needs to purify his soul, giving advice carefully to others. Priests need prayers as well.
A priest can err because it
is only human to err, he might also be confronted to lack of concentration. He should
not use foul words. There are, though, some qualities a priest should have, he
should be caring, kind, supportive, loving, compassionate and understanding. A priest
should be a model, someone you can look up to.
Most
importantly, a priest should be trustworthy, someone you can confide in. He should constantly think of the poor and needy, doing
the works of mercy to help and care for social work. He should make a difference in peoples lives.
A priest should be a good listener, listening carefully and also be comforting for a loss or anything that might be upsetting. He is often someone one has recourse to for prayers or reassurance. A priest should be a big communicator, meaning, his homilies should be understandable to all categories of ages. He should be positive and make one feel better.
To minister to God is briefly to detach oneself from iniquity and holding to the elevations of the abstract pure spiritual life where no whims, no rancor, no discrimination, no cruelty, no mundane quarrels, no hurting, no prejudices, no clinging to power, no offence, no disrespect, no disdain, no hypocrisy, no boredom and no deviation of any kind, because that is God's world.
The comeback
Years have passed since Giovanna fled from the church of St John. She recalled when she gave birth in the dormitory inside the church, she started helping and singing in the choir but she wanted to live her life to the fullest. Now at the entrance of the church, she pondered for a while.
« It’s been more than three decades now, that I walked out of this building thinking I will never come back again, thinking it was the right decision, here I am again, God, between thy hands, with regret and shame. May God forgive my sins. Amen» prayed Giovanna.
She walked
with quite confident steps into the abbey and sat their waiting for Oliver to come up.
«Can I help you?» said a shaky voice beside her.
She saw a crooked old man wearing a long garment and a chain with a cross pendant dangling on his chest. She hesitated for a while, then asked him about Oliver.
At that time, Oliver was walking quickly through the big hall, when she saw him. He noticed her.
« I saw you talking to Father David. » said Oliver trying to know what was their conversation about.
« Mother, are you here for me or for the Lord ? » he asked with his eyes wide open.
« I am
here for you and for the lord. I am resolutely
dedicating the rest of my life to God » she said with great confidence.
« Welcome
back, mother, I will help you to go back to the righteous path » said
Oliver.
« Do
not leave me alone, Oliver, » asked the mother.
« I can
sacrifice myself for you.» said Oliver.
« No, I
do not want you to sacrifice yourself for me, If anyone should sacrifice it should be me ! » she answered.
« We
are in God’s care and hands so we fulfill our missions in this life as He wants us to be » said
Oliver.
Piano worship music started with the church service. Giovanna
in a comic way stared at the pianist, who had a phantom like white face. She
draw his attention with her stares and the pianist looked back to her as if to
say « what’s the matter ? ». Giovanna bumped into Oliver as she
was staring back. Instrumental music went on and worship songs started with the choir voices rising higher and higher
in the big hall.
Giovanna felt relieved, at least she is near her son, feeling in good hands. She started attending religious courses and singing with the choir. Her dress changed and her face lit up by the delight of her coming back to God and to her son.
She has found a friend among the sisters, one called sister Francesca, who was almost of the same age as her. Francesca would be in her company at meal times, they would pray on the table before meals together: « Lord God, .. bless us and these Thy gifts which we receive from Thy bountiful goodness. .. Amen."
Giovanna learnt from Francesca many
rules and things about the religious life in the church.
Oliver thanked God that his mother was guided to the right path . He had prayed a lot for her guidance. She started growing old in the church feeling more loved and cherished than ever before.
Beware the prejudice
Oliver was all the more happy that he discovered his family, among which his cousins, and particularly to have a brother from another religion. A priest should also respect all the other religions not only his.
Oliver kept meditating in God’s creations and at the same time was thinking about the late events in his life, he realized that creatures are weak. In the sense that, people can think whatever they will but they might be right and they might be wrong. People can make prejudice and misconceptions. People have limited thinking so the process of meditating is endless and should be like a wheel that never stops .
Oliver thought about his Muslim half-brother, who wanted to share heritage of his father with him although he was not forced to do so. That was only out of kindness and altruism. True brotherhood is rare nowadays. How can Oliver think that all Muslims were terrorists with bad intentions, while his Muslim brother was behaving this way. He concluded that not all people are alike. People are guided by their inherent nature and also by their minds and way of reasoning.
The thing is that there are extremists in every religion and moderate pious persons in every faith. Therefore, one should not help preconceived statements and stereotypes be transmitted from mouth to ear or make the media be influenced by lobbying.
Judging people should not be done based on what one hears but according to the behavior that one undergoes with the person one judges.
Oliver sent a letter to Ahmed, his half-brother talking to him about how he thought about Muslims before and how he changed his erroneous thinking after he met him. He thanked him for his help and promised to keep in touch with him.
"Dear brother Ahmed,
It is with great delight that I am writing you this letter to express my happiness to have met you and talked to you the other day. I am very grateful for your help and kindness. Thanks to you, I knew the truth about my parents, I found my family and my mother is back here with me.
I invite you to pay visits to me whenever possible, we are brothers after all. We should support each other in joy and in adversity.
Let us spread the values of love in this world overtaken by the values of deceit and corruption, and where moral standards eroded in favor of aberrant behaviors that are incompatible with social cohesion. The accumulation of such bad behavior in society is sapping family fabrics and family bonds, which might lead to an imminent disaster.
I am glad to have a brother like you, respectful of family links and full of good intentions. Let us always stsnd by each other, we have the same blood in our veins brother, and regardless of that, we are created to unite and love each other. Let us put our trust in God "
Your brother O/G
Rome
N.B: photos included here are taken from the site www.pixels.com
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