The Priest and the Sinner

God had continued to whisper softly in his ears but his anger was too profound to make him hear a word. ‘The man who raped someone's daughter could kill someone!’ he was reasoning. He had made a decision and nothing would change his mind about what to do. His sleep had been robbed by this unfortunate incident.

The incident even sometimes made him forget what he wanted to do or what to eat. He was obsessed by the revengeful plans on his mind. Each time he look upon his daughter, he would see the man and he would feel the pains his daughter has felt. The more he felt the pains, the more he knew, he had to revenge the wrong in order to smile back on his daughters face.

He was tossing and turning on his bed, rain was hitting hard on the roof and knocking on the windows. The winds were roaring outside. It had been like that all night. It was a storming night. The Priest got out of bed. The light was on in his daughters room. Maybe she could not sleep either.

The Priest wrapped himself in a robe and groped his to have a look. Ruth was crying, her face was hiding in her pillow. Her mother was with her. The Priests heart was shattered into a million pieces to see his family this way. He reasoned that if he had done something worthwhile about it, this would not have happened. And the memory would have gone away like a bad dream.

He walked back to his room like a strangled man. The worst of the world was written on his face like a ruin. He was waiting for the day to break, so that he would put his house in order and bring back smiles and laughter back to his home. There would be peace again.

He began by making plans in his heart: he would called his daughter to show him the man. He could not imagine what the devil would look like. Of course, he would be handsome, soft-spoken, and friendly.

The world had often made the mistake of imagination that make evil men look creature that has claws and horns. How else would a rapist look like, if not like the rest of us!
He concluded to kill the man, his mind was finally made up.

He would turn deaf ears to his gentle inner voice and listen to his anger and disgrace instead. Else, he won’t do anything about it, and worst of all, he would allow the evil to walk about free. Soon he would rape another mans daughter!

His priesthood had often denied him of his human right to avenge a wrong. He stopped listening altogether, and there was indeed a knock on the door!

‘Who could be calling so early at this hour?’ he wondered, ‘why had the caller chosen the church?’ It was duty call.

Priesthood took over in that instant. He walked briskly to the church without a second though nor a glance at his worries. At the church entrance stood a man in his late twenties. He was drenched and shivering. His worries were written all over him like a gigantic billboard.

On seeing the Priest, the man was down on his knees, hands in a gesture asking for forgiveness. The cold morning breeze was gently patting the faces of the duo. The breeze was softly telling them something, but they could not hear.

The man remained on his knees, begging the Priest to forgive him. It was a gesture that really embarrassed the Priest, he said,

‘Forgiveness is of the Lord –He is truthful and merciful to forgive you all your trespasses. You just need to be remorseful enough to sin no more!’

The man heaved a sign, ‘Its just that I have fulfilled my own share of the Lords saying,’ he looked at the Priest again, ‘Father, if you could just forgive me!’

The Priest was visibly not impressed but spoke as priestly as he could, ‘Forgiveness of sins is of God, and my calling is to guide you to repentance and to pray for you.’

He noticed that the man was unwilling to stand up and confess his wrong. He had often seen people like this man. They took it upon themselves that they had committed a big sin that God would not forgive them in His wrath.

The cold breeze was eating at them, maybe it would rain again. Then if it rains, it would rain all day! This mean another prolong hours of sadness in his own home, while he trying to bring happiness in this mans life.

The Priest make another priestly gesture to make the man vomit his trespasses and be free of his heart-burden, he asked, ‘Son, what have you done? Do you think God will not forgive you?’

The man still on his knees looked down and said,

‘Its not God that am afraid wont forgive me, father, its you!’

‘How and why me?’ the Priest asked.

‘Its because I raped your daughter!’

THE END.