July 23, 2010

My Journey to God

When a Priest Weeps

“And Jesus wept. So the Jews said,
‘See how he loved him.’ ” (Jn 11:35-36)

When a priest weeps,
His tears rip into the soul,
His sadness penetrates every fiber.

We, his flock, feel helpless.
We weep with him.
Our tears are falling for his loss,
Our hearts breaking for his pain.

He, the vicar of Christ, weeping,
Inconsolably sad, reminds us of the weeping Jesus.
Still, the priest is the shepherd of the flock.

I have had losses that ripped my heart to pieces.
I have relied on this priest to help me come back to life.

I pray that he has a place of safety and love
To rely on, to help him come back to life.
I pray that he will be wrapped in angel wings,
and the hot breath of the Holy Spirit
Will warm his shattered heart.

When a priest weeps,
The world goes dark. Things seem out of place.
Hearts break and love flows
To the priest who weeps.

By Trudy Bledsoe

(Trudy Bledsoe is a member of St. Christopher Parish in Indianapolis. She wrote this poem after attending the funeral Mass for Larry Hurt, the longtime parish music director, who died unexpectedly on July 1 at the church. “The sadness was palpable,” she said. “Even the priests were in tears.”)

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