In 2000, our pastor, Fr. John O'Holohan, was a guest on Mother Angelica Live at EWTN. Father had a video tape of his guest spot. Now we came to our parish in 2003. Sometime around 2.5 years ago, Father asked me if he had lent me his video of his EWTN spot. I told him I love to see it, but no, he hadn't lent it to me. Over the next year he must have asked me 2-3 more times if he had lent it to me. Then he started asking everyone. One day he even made an announcement after Mass asking for the return of the video to whomever he at lent it. (You can see where this is going....)Yesterday, while searching through bookcases in my office for something to read I came across a video tape behind some books. The handwriting on the label was a familiar scrall and read, "Mother Angelica & Fr. J OHolohan SJ 14 June 2000 - 1 hr interview". Oh no, I thought. It can't be!
I showed Mrs. Curley. She looked aghast and said, "I want to be there when you return this!". (I think she takes an adverse pleasure in seeing me suffer humiliation.)
Fr. John is in Ireland on his yearly month-long vacation-so I have a week respite. It is not that he will be angry, it is that I hate to have been the one causing him to waste time over this. He will just smile and say thanks, no problem etc.
So we watched the video last night. (After all, that's why he lent it to us.) It was a great show. This was taped 4 years before we knew Fr. John. He hasn't changed a bit. One story (about us being like pigs being led to the slaughter) was familiar.
I had to laugh. Raymond Arroyo asked Fr. John about lay spirituality, and Fr. John started talking about Thomas More. After discussing something of his prayer life and how he was a family man, Fr. John mentioned that after his wife died, Thomas More remarried, "and his 2nd wife practically nagged him to death." Raymond Arroyo raises his eyebrows in surprise, laughs and says, "We won't go there Father." And Mother Angelica comments, "And then he was martyred. I guess you could say he was practically martyred twice."
Great stuff.
Oremus pro invicem!
2 comments:
June 29, 2010
I watched rerun of the show last night. So many people have said to me that they have no idea how to explain what takes place in their prayer life. I have a blessed prayer life myself but the road is difficult and I tread sometimes as though blind. Father is exactly what so many of us need to help us partner with the Lord. If only there were more priests like him. For the most part priests are too busy with practical considerations to have any time for spiritual direction. The Church has so many riches to be mined but too many untrained workers. Pray for more spiritual directors like Father.
TeresaMary Baran
I watched a rerun of this show today. Near the end, I said out loud: "I feel God's love from this priest." I will cherish the blessing that he gave at the end of the show. --Blessings and joy!
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