The Most Holy Trinity 2009

Many years ago I was coming back to Ireland from Africa. I was tired and hoping to get some sleep. Even though the plane was filling up, the two seats beside me remained empty. Just as the plane’s doors were about to close a couple rushed onto the plane out of breath. God forgive me, but I was hoping they wouldn’t sit beside me as I wanted to stretch out on the empty seats for my sleep. Well, you have guessed it – down they sat beside me. The lady who was not small or thin sat next to me and her husband who was both small and thin sat in the aisle seat.

This woman was the greatest talker I have ever met! She could have talked for all of us together. She never seemed to pause even for breath. She talked about her operations in such detail that I felt I could perform them should she ever need surgery of that sort again. The husband just kept reading his book. I could imagine that he was glad of the break while his wife of many years had a new pair of ears to listen to her. The good thing was that she knew nothing about me. That was until she asked me what I worked at! I was tempted to tell her that I was unemployed or worked on repairing roads or anything. But I decided that she deserved the truth. So I told her quite simply - I am a priest. For the first time since she sat down she went silent! I could see her husband smirking away as he had obviously been following the conversation. After pausing for breath and a few seconds of silence she simply said – ‘If I had known you are a priest I wouldn’t have told you half the things that I did’. How I regretted that I wasn’t wearing my habit or clerical collar.

I tell this [true] story because this lady had a picture of what you can and cannot talk about to a priest. On this Feast of the Holy Trinity I ask myself do I sometimes treat God the way that lady did me. Do I put on a ‘holy’ voice and pick out a few ‘safe’ topics when I talk with God? What topics do I not talk about because I believe that it would be wrong to mention such things to God? Maybe it is safe to say a Rosary but what mysteries in my life do I never talk about with God? During Lent I am happy to make the Stations of the Cross, but what scenes of people being ‘crucified’ in 2009 do I pass by and never bring to God? There is no criticism intended of anybody in these questions. They are directed to Aidan Troy. If you want to ignore them, gentle Bulletin reader, please do. More likely you have better and more personal questions to ask yourself ( mention your name to God when you do bring your issues to Him).

Aidan Troy (Aodahán, C.P.)