The Mentor
“Maybe you should listen. I believe God is calling you.” Father William said. “He has been for quite a while.”
A priest, a friend, they sat on a wall outside the campus library, one a student with a copy of the ‘Ragamuffin Gospel’ written by Brennan Manning in hand, the other working campus ministry. The season of spring was encroaching in the Northeast and the April afternoon was warmer than usual. The sun reached out from the cloudless sky like gentle fingers wanting to caress.
“I’ve questioned a lot in the last few years.”
“But never your faith,” the priest added.
“No I’ve never doubted why Jesus died. I’ve never doubted who He was… or is. It’s the law that makes us stumble… makes me stumble. And some of those laws… I can’t find any basis for them.”
“You see them as manmade.”
“I see us as modern day Pharisees, honoring laws and dogmas more than we honor the word of God. Sometimes it feels like we are more concerned with our appearance than the true nature of our souls.”
“He is an interesting author,” Father William said, pointing to the paperback book. “What got you interested in Brennan?”
“A quote I heard on a CD called ‘Jesus Freak’. A girl I met… Jennifer Hall… played it for me. Before one of the songs there is a brief recording of Brennan Manning saying, ‘The greatest cause of Atheism in the world today is Christians.’ There’s more to the quote… it kind of reflects our hypocrisy… how we acknowledge Jesus with our words and deny him with our actions. This is the first book I’ve read of his. I’ve decided I’ll have to read more.”
“I understand he was a priest. He struggled with alcoholism.”
“The appearance,” the student said, “not the true nature of the soul.”
Father William jumped down from the wall and faced the young man he’d been mentoring. They met on campus three years ago and in that time developed a deep respect for each other. The student had considered ministry within the church since his high school days. He was raised Catholic and embraced his questions as much as his faith.
The priest was in his mid-thirties. He drew young adults into his embrace and loved directing them toward Jesus. His black hair caught the breeze. He rubbed a hand over the top of his head, putting the wild locks back in place. Father William was clean shaven and wore round framed wire rimmed glasses. He donned a gray clerical shirt with his Roman collar and a pair of faded blue jeans. Rarely did anyone refer to the priest’s family name of Baczkowski. To everyone on campus he was Father William.
“See, you don’t have to be perfect to wear this collar. We’ve all sinned. It’s knowing that God forgives us for those sins that makes us right in His eyes. Maybe you need to stop speaking your thoughts in your prayers. Sometimes all we do is talk. Stop asking, He already knows what you need. Listen for the voice of God. It will surprise you. He will give you guidance. All you have to do is listen.”
“I am listening… at least I think I am.”
“And what do you hear Him saying?”
“He’s saying that I need to be patient, that my desire to minister might not take me down the same road as it has taken others.”
“If you continue to listen, if you continue to walk down that road, always aware that He is with you… you will find your way. Don’t be afraid of stumbling. Jesus fell three times when He carried His burden across his shoulders… and He knew the road He walked down. The author of that book you’re reading, he stumbled, but he knew Jesus would always be there to pick him back up again.”
The student joined the priest, jumping down from the wall. He checked his cell phone for the time, rather than looking up to the stately clock tower which adorned the front of the library. “I have a class in ten minutes.”
“You should go,” Father William said. “We can continue this some other time. Just remember to listen and know that God’s will isn’t forceful, He gently guides.”
They both turned in separate directions, one heading east, the other west. The student shoved one hand in his pocket before turning abruptly and calling back to the priest.
“Father.”
The mentor turned.
“What if I’m being called to convert… to be a minister in a Protestant church… rather than a priest?”
“James… I know you would be a
marvelous priest under the Roman Rite.
You would also make an incredible minister. Follow the road He leads you down with an
all-consuming faith and you will always be His.”
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