My favorite priesty friend came blowing into town last weekend, and geez, he’s like a light in the dark. While higher-up Catholics are all about the uterus, he’s about loving your neighbor.
Go figure.
These past two years he’s been in South America and he sees more than his share of despair every single day. His homily was about food and the lack, thereof. In his world there’s no such thing as not finishing your plate in contrast to here where people think little of dumping half of it in the garbage. Perhaps, when we eat, he said, we can do so with gratitude, and be ever so mindful that many, many others aren’t so fortunate. Food, literally, for thought.
When the after-party was winding down, some of us were outside and he started talking about heaven. How upon our arrival he thinks Jesus sits us down and says, “I don’t know what the hell you were thinking when you said that. I mean c’mon. I gave you a brain, but you sure didn’t use it that time. And what about the time you did that? That’s the thanks I get for giving you this life?”
And when you’ve listened to him bitch about you and point out all your screwups, you can say, “JESUS, what were you thinking? Seriously, the lesson bullshit wore my ass out. Here’s an idea…..you could have made things a little easier once in awhile.”
Jesus would mull this over and say, “Well, you might have a point. Maybe I did go a little overboard with the power thing. C’mon in and take a load off.”
Admittance that’s based on an honest conversation, and hopefully, my favorite priesty friend’s line of work gives him some insider information.