July 8: Pescador de hombres
Yesterday I had an opportunity to attend the priestly ordination of a Jesuit. This was not the first priestly ordination I have ever attended. I have had attended many ordinations, even being involved directly as the master of ceremony. But this ordination was very particular. Right from beginning of the ceremony, I was reminded of course on the sacraments, which I have just finished. I remembered different important aspects like the theological expiations, the church teachings and the Biblical references of the sacrament of the ordine. When the Bishop was saying the ordination prayer, my companion who was sitting beside me whispered to me saying, “Ripon your time is coming soon!” I knew he was refereeing to my priestly ordination! I looked at him and we exchanged a witty smile.
For a moment I asked myself, ‘why I want to become a priest!’ This very question I was asked and am being asked many times. Time and again I do ask myself to the same question. Though the question remains to be the same but answer is not same. Each time I discover something new to the answer. Suddenly came to my mind two incidents, which I encountered recently. Both the incidents took place within a week.
The first: One day (last week of June), I went for the mid-day Mass at the chiesa del Gesu. As I was coming out of the Church I saw a very old woman was coming just behind me. On seeing her, I stood at the door, making sure the door is wide open so that she could pass the door without any problem. When she came near the door I noticed she was finding difficult to walk. Without thinking much, I asked her if I could help her as she has to climb down the steps. She accepted my proposal. I held her hands and climbed down the steps. As she has to cross the road, again I asked her if I could help her. She said yes and gave me a smile. We crossed the road together. Then she asked me if I could reach her home. I went with her. Along the way we spoke for sometimes. When we reached her home, which was close to the church, she told me, “The world needs you. Be a holy priest!”
The second: My cousin from Florence, on her recent visit to Rome asked me if I could accompany her to visit a Muslim family. I accepted. My cousin, her husband, son and I reached to that particular family just at the time of lunch. As soon as we arrived there the lunch was served to us. My cousin kept on talking as she was familiar with the family. My nephew and I were busy talking among ourselves. We enjoyed a good home prepared food. Meanwhile my cousin made sure my identity as ‘religious’ was revealed to everyone present.
After the lunch we went to terrace and had an informal chat. This was the time I spoke with everyone of that family. Then my cousin brought the issue of how do we spend the rest of the evening. There was proposal of visiting some places and so on. To my great surprise, the mother, the middle-aged woman, told that she wanted to talk to me. I was a bit surprise with the proposal, but accepted willingly. The lady began to talk. She touched upon almost all the aspects of her life. While she was talking to me, she had to rub her eyes several times. I did not want to interrupt. I allowed her to speak. At the end she told me that she shared with me certain things which she never shared with anyone. She asked me to accompany her son, as he was having some problems. At the end she told something very precious, “you are a priest, a person close to Allah (God). You must pray for my family. You must visit my family. Your presence brings much joy and peace in my family.” I was stunned to hear these words from a Muslim woman!
Do these incidents tell me something?
For a moment I asked myself, ‘why I want to become a priest!’ This very question I was asked and am being asked many times. Time and again I do ask myself to the same question. Though the question remains to be the same but answer is not same. Each time I discover something new to the answer. Suddenly came to my mind two incidents, which I encountered recently. Both the incidents took place within a week.
The first: One day (last week of June), I went for the mid-day Mass at the chiesa del Gesu. As I was coming out of the Church I saw a very old woman was coming just behind me. On seeing her, I stood at the door, making sure the door is wide open so that she could pass the door without any problem. When she came near the door I noticed she was finding difficult to walk. Without thinking much, I asked her if I could help her as she has to climb down the steps. She accepted my proposal. I held her hands and climbed down the steps. As she has to cross the road, again I asked her if I could help her. She said yes and gave me a smile. We crossed the road together. Then she asked me if I could reach her home. I went with her. Along the way we spoke for sometimes. When we reached her home, which was close to the church, she told me, “The world needs you. Be a holy priest!”
The second: My cousin from Florence, on her recent visit to Rome asked me if I could accompany her to visit a Muslim family. I accepted. My cousin, her husband, son and I reached to that particular family just at the time of lunch. As soon as we arrived there the lunch was served to us. My cousin kept on talking as she was familiar with the family. My nephew and I were busy talking among ourselves. We enjoyed a good home prepared food. Meanwhile my cousin made sure my identity as ‘religious’ was revealed to everyone present.
After the lunch we went to terrace and had an informal chat. This was the time I spoke with everyone of that family. Then my cousin brought the issue of how do we spend the rest of the evening. There was proposal of visiting some places and so on. To my great surprise, the mother, the middle-aged woman, told that she wanted to talk to me. I was a bit surprise with the proposal, but accepted willingly. The lady began to talk. She touched upon almost all the aspects of her life. While she was talking to me, she had to rub her eyes several times. I did not want to interrupt. I allowed her to speak. At the end she told me that she shared with me certain things which she never shared with anyone. She asked me to accompany her son, as he was having some problems. At the end she told something very precious, “you are a priest, a person close to Allah (God). You must pray for my family. You must visit my family. Your presence brings much joy and peace in my family.” I was stunned to hear these words from a Muslim woman!
Do these incidents tell me something?
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