It is strange how we always perceive priests as people who are constantly locked up in prayer, confessional box, or celebrating mass. We rarely view them as people who "have a life" (like us), or "fun" although some priests are just more interesting than others.
In any case, if you ever hear me complaining about a boring "lifeless" priest, please remind me of my experience yesterday. Not all priests are like that!
We had our investiture mass, where we handed over our 15th Exco positions to the newly elected 16th. All was good, although I felt a little odd mingling around with the NTU people. I was the only NIE member who went. My partner-in-crime had something on prior to that and couldn't make it. Apart from two or three members from the Exco, I had no one I could really talk to. Of course, yesterday just proved to me that I am such a huge social butterfly if I want to be. I managed to put aside all the awkward feelings I had and spoke to the entire 15th Exco (individually) as though I knew them for the entire year. True, we were together for a year serving but I was only concentrated on fulfilling my tasks in NIE than to help out for the NTU side. That resulted in the distant feeling.
After dinner, a couple of the girls suggested going clubbing and asked me along. As much as I can be a party animal, work always comes first so I hesitated before I heard the news: our chaplain agreed to come clubbing with us! Odd, isn't it? Naturally, to satisfy my curiosity as to whether priests can go clubbing (or have fun), I went along with the crowd to see if he was simply lying (which of course, would be a sin, ain't it?)
He even drove us to double O and allowed us to keep our bags in his car. He said to us that he'll be our protector against evil that night and when Jesus walks into Double O.........................
You figure out the ending to that.
Of course, his dreams of evangelising at a CLUB didn't go very well. He danced with us, and drank with us but most of all, he kept us safe from the prying hands of some raging hormonal males on the dancefloor.
After clubbing was supper, where the girls thrashed out about how most men on earth are scumbags. Instead of admonishing us, he was extremely patient in listening to our grouses. It felt like a mini confession, just that he definitely couldn't absolve us like that. We managed to ask about his past (but he kept tight lipped) and found out a little more about priesthood.
All in all, this changed my perspective of priests. Some of them may feel really inflexible, boring, and we can hardly relate to them about our personal problems but there are others out there who are willing to step down to our level, walk the path we walked, see from our perspective and understand where we're coming from. They are not quick to judge, not quick to point fingers that we should have known better or think that we're all hopeless. Of course I know it's not their job to do so but sometimes, you just can't help feeling you're never good enough.
I really appreciated Father's presence (I'm not going to reveal who it is. If you know, good for you) last night. Without him, I wouldn't have learnt so much over supper or had so much fun laughing at him in the car. I wouldn't have discovered that priests CAN have a life. It's amazing how I noticed he CAN stay away from temptations and how he practiced it in front of us that night.
Priests ARE amazing people, really.
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