The small delegation arrived at the Mission about mid-morning. Please would I bring the sacraments to a dying lady. It would be a couple of hours trek through the swamp but that would be no problem, the sacraments were all important. But a problem did emerge, this lady was fourth wife to her husband and so not married according to the church! The parish rule was that only practicing Catholics could receive the sacraments lest respect for the church be diminished. Sadly I had to decline. I could not appear to be weak in this respect.

Hard on the heels of the first delegation came a second, from the same area of swamp, but for a dying man. No further information existed about him so, with no evidence to the contrary, I had no option but to set off with the sacrament. I found him sitting on a stool outside his hut smoking a pipe. My limited knowledge of the local language was a barrier, he didn’t understand my questions, nor what the sacrament was for, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

As I was about to leave, the original delegation for the lady appeared. Since I was there, please would I just call to see her? I realised that I had been duped, the old man was a decoy and the real purpose of my journey into the swamp was to see their lady. I was quite angry inside but thought it would be churlish not to visit her – since I had come all this way! I entered the house, a large mud building by local standards, almost empty of furniture, but with one of the four wives sitting on a chair cradling the dying woman who sat on the floor between her legs. The husband sat some feet away opposite. Standing round the walls stood other people from the village reciting the rosary with great devotion. What could I do? Their devotion was tangible, but the rules stood in my way. I knelt beside the dying lady and prayed with her. I explained, in my limited language, that due to the circumstances I was not able to give her the sacraments but assured her that God was greater than these things and would accept her with great love and compassion. I was very embarrassed and confused by the rules. I believe now that neither the dying lady nor the others could understand what I was saying and that they believed I had given her the sacraments anyway. I dearly hope they did!

Conscience and good will are wonderful but, at times, limited and shallow in the presence of a God whose love is infinite and whose understanding profound. Would that we could learn to listen more and judge less.

Frank Thompson MHM
APF Organiser for Plymouth & Portsmouth Dioceses