Celebrating Priesthood in the Diocese of Kilmore in this Year of Prayer for Vocations (3)

A few times since Father has come to the parish, I have wondered if he has overheard my conversation with friends as he tends to hit the nail on the head in his sermons! I was living with an alcoholic family member at this time. With bad health and the stresses of the way I was being treated at home I was struggling. After a particularly bad Saturday night, I was at Sunday mass sitting with tears running down behind my mask, for once grateful for social distancing. I was praying for guidance when Father began his sermon. He began to speak about alcoholics and startled I lifted my head and tuned in. The one line that resonated with me was “Whatever you do for them do it with love”. It took me two weeks to figure out what form of relationship that would be where I could give help/support without expecting the person to change/give anything in return and without me getting hurt. It was a lot less than what we had previously but it meant that we were able to keep the relationship albeit in a different format. I was then able to tell my relative that I loved them and hug them on a regular basis, which comforted both of us.