A priest was once invited by his Bishop for an emergency meeting. Upon leaving for the meeting, the priest discovered he had a burial to attend in his parish that weekend. He had gone far and did not want to go back again. So, he phoned a nearby deacon to give a helping hand at the funeral. Out of obedience, the deacon agreed. But later, he got upset. “I’ve no idea who the deceased is” said the deacon, “nor anything about the parish itself”. “What am I going to say at the funeral?” However, he resolved to implore the help of the Holy Spirit. Finally, he went to the church for the funeral service. Just beside the sacristy, he found a little boy crying. “Little one, you’re crying” said the deacon. The boy replied, “The man lying there in the church is my father”. With a sigh of relief, the deacon said to himself: “at last, I’ve found a source for my homily’. “Tell me something about your dad little one.” with a face lighted up, the boy said to him: “my dad is the best dad in the whole world”. “He kisses my mum; he cares for my sister and me.” He even plays with me and takes my sister and me to cinema.” “He was a caring dad.” I’ll miss him much.” The deacon, full of smiles said to the boy: “really! Cheer up dear, your dad is in heaven”
Now, with confidence, the deacon mounted the pulpit and started his homily: “the Joe lying in front of us today is one of the best dads in the whole world. He’s a good husband and a caring father.” The preacher was flowing with this when suddenly a woman sited at the front role of sits in the church interrupted: Rev! Who’re you talking about?” “The late Joe of course”, said the deacon. The woman continued: “you don’t know who’s lying down here.” “I’m his mother-in-law.” He was never a good man; not to his wife whom he bullied, nor to me whom he never respected.” To shorten it, the woman took over the homily. Disappointed and feeling embarrassed, the deacon managed to finish the remaining part of the ceremony.
Finally, after Joe was lowered into the ground, everyone started going away. While about to go, the deacon still pissed up by the whole thing, saw the little boy all by himself again. He confronted him saying: “how could you do this to me”. “You had me put on a hot spot; why.” The young boy looked at the deacon and said: “look, Rev! I don’t know what that woman is talking about; I don’t care what she thinks my dad is”. “For me, he is the best dad I’ve ever known.”
It's a story I heard from Church yesterday. I hope you'd enjoy it and find something meaningful from it.
© Okoliko D. 2010
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