PRIESTS

Priests: Bringers of the New Bread,
waiters announcing, "This is your table!"

Knowing that water can become wine,
and wine can become blood,
blood poured out in giving one’s life for the sheep.
Tired too many times,
trying to find lost sleep....
Hearing knocking,

reluctantly going down to open up a door
for those asking, seeking,
knocking in their dark night,
wanting bread - wanting money - wanting more.
A sinner eating with sinners.
Priests: Bringers of the full basket of forgiveness.
Washers of other's feet -- often not willing
to allow Jesus to wash our feet.
“If he only knew ....”
Countless hours
sitting in a rectory office trying to listen,
trying to break Emmaus type words,
like bread for those
wanting to walk away from it all.
Aging Fathers wanting Prodigal Sons,

and Older Brothers, to sit together

at the family table and enjoy the banquet of life.

Women coming to the tomb,

expecting emptiness, only to experience

the Morning Risen Christ.
Priests: Warners about the hungry,
about Lazarus at our gate.
Priests: Giving up at times,
wanting to go back to fish for fish -
for something we can really see,
till the Risen Jesus appears
and calls us once again
to feed his sheep, to feed his lambs,
and to answer his question three times,
seventy times seven times, all our lives,
“Do you love me more?”

© Andy Costello,

Reflections, 2008

Picture on top:
Father Alec  Reid
1931-2013
Ordained September 22, 1957
Picture of Father Alec ministering
to a solder shot in the shootings
in Northern Ireland