I have never been invited to a stag or hen party. I keep missing out on life – but I have seen two wedding days ruined by stag parties. In one, the bride to-be heard what had happened at her fiance’s party and knew that she had a filthy father-in-law, with the fear of “like father, like son”.
In the other, the oaf of a bridegroom turned up looking a total mess, to the anger of the bride and her family and the disgust of the guests. Some unpromising starts to married life, weren’t they.
I worked in the railway goods’ yard after leaving school to earn money to pay for my leaving home and joining our religious congregation. We had to come with enough clothing, etc. for two years – a fair condition. At the yard was a man of our parish whom I knew well by sight. It was an unpleasant surprise to hear his vile language. It was charade-macho, a pretence of being tough by his strong language. It was hard not to despise him.
Have you ever been a pretender, putting on the style – tough man about town, brazenly one of the girls – when anyone knowing you would see the pretence. You saw it. You knew you were hollow. Why pretend what you are not? Why an image instead of the real? Macho man, Party girl, whom are you trying to kid?
If your children discover you are hollow, who made you hollow? God could have filled that emptiness that you fill with pretence and affectation that others see through easily. Why not see daily life as this anonymous author saw it?
I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task.
"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered.
He answered, "You didn't ask."
I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn't show me.
He said, "But you didn't seek."
I tried to come into God's presence; I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided, "My child, you didn't knock."
I woke up early this morning, and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.
(Author Unknown)
Fr John
(2nd June 2019)
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