Father Frank

22 October 2002 On the Dock – 7 pm

Sun went down, I am here.
Prayed and Played, most of the day
Made an important decision
Step out in faith
Obedient to You, O Lord
You call me, “Beloved” wow!

At Eucharist with my brother priests
I realized that I treat them kind of like my own brothers.
I Love them, but they really don’t
enter into my daily life.
But then I saw Frank
a stroke victim, retired
and somewhat left alone
The way he approached the altar
after I did
He was so filled with emotion
with his cane
The Eucharist overwhelmed him
and then at the altar itself
he drank the Blood of Life
and almost fell over.

I thought to give him my seat too late
And then he sat in a chair
blocking the aisle
awkward for the other priests
to step over him –

he is my brother
he had a stroke
he struggles ever so close
with his own sins
and forces me to face
my own sins of omission
and me?
do I?
i can’t answer
O Lord be merciful, o me a sinner.
Sun down, my batteries worn down
life, love, longing…evening prayer