Fear

A short story about the fear of eternally being alone.

Fear 

Only the glow of prayer candles on each side of the altar provided a soft illumination of the chapel. Father Francis Ryan stepped out of the confessional and looked around. It appeared the last parishioner had departed, and the priest was happy to call it a night. Now he could enjoy the remainder of his evening watching the Chicago Cubs game. As he was leaving by the side entry he noticed a male figure in the shadows near the altar. The man was sitting with hunched shoulders, arms across his chest, and his rocking back and forth gave the appearance he was very much in distress. Father Francis knew he must attend to him, and if possible, be a source of solace and comfort. The man looked to be very well dressed, middle aged, and a stranger. This didn't bode well for watching the Cubs game and the Father thought he could be in for a long evening, but turning away a soul in distress was unthinkable.

"May I help you, Sir?" Father Francis asked softly as he sat next to the man. With his head lowered and eyes closed the man continued rocking back and forth, hands clasped and shaking up and down in front of his chest, silent.

"Sir, my name is Father Francis Ryan, priest of this congregation, and I do not recognize you. Would you please identify yourself and tell me the purpose of your visit.” He waited for an answer that didn’t come, so he continued, “I will pray with you if you wish, and I am a very good listener if you need to talk. Please tell me how I may help you?"

Without acknowledging the presence of the priest the man almost shouted, "Where is Hell?"

Surprised by the question and its delivery, the priest responded, "From your reaction I would say it is in your heart and soul." The man stiffened and turned to the priest saying, "I am certain I am going to Hell. I must know, Father, where is it? What will it be like?"

Compassionately the priest reached out and took the man's two hands and calmly said, "Only God knows anything with certainty, my friend. Tell me why you feel this way".

The man sat quietly for a moment. The priest squeezed his hands for encouragement. The man started to tremble but slowly began his story.

"Father, I am going to Hell because I have forsaken God. I worked my entire life acquiring wealth, while neglecting everything else, even God. I was very fortunate to marry one of the kindest, sweetest souls a person could hope for, but I even neglected her, and refused to give her a child, afraid that it would make requirements on my time."

"My wife passed away last year from cancer, which has left me totally alone. I never realized how much I loved her, Father; and how much I relied on her companionship. I never thought I could grieve so much. Recently I attended the church where she was a regular member, I was always too busy to accompany her, and the minister's sermon was about Hell."

"He said Hell is for people who do not deserve to be in the presence of God. People who have not only committed evil acts, but also who turned their backs on Him and their fellow man."

"Father, he was describing me. God was sentencing me to Hell through this preacher, and it gets worse. The preacher described Hell as the eternal state of being alone with our sins; alone, never to see the face of my wife again, or feel her spirit beside me, and never to know God, or feel His love. I am not only afraid to die and be eternally alone, Father, I am terrified. "

The man began to shake, he lowered his head, and tightly squeezed the priest's hands. Through this human touch, Father Francis could feel the depth of his fear and anguish, and prayed that God would help and guide his words in such a way as to help this tortured soul.

"Sir", said the priest, "I want you to carefully listen to me. Please pay close attention.

 

You are not going to Hell unless you have committed some unforgivably evil act. As a Catholic priest, I have to say you might spend a fair amount of time in purgatory to cleanse you from your sins. However, you will then feel the full power of God's love and grace. Jesus came to us with a new covenant that did away with the old. The new covenant was and is love and forgiveness. The old covenant was law, obedience and sacrifice. Your sins, Sir, are forgiven, and I can tell you with absolute certainty by your confession to me, you will spend eternity in the presence of our Lord, and with your beloved wife."

The man relaxed his grip from the priest's hands, and the priest saw the corners of his mouth slowly start to relax and his eyes soften. He then knew through God's grace he had helped this man.

"My name is Richard Clark" the stranger said. "Thank you so much for listening and talking to me and I pray your words are true, they are very comforting. Is there anything I can do for you, Father, anything at all?"

After a moments pause, the priest said, "Come, join me for a good glass of red wine. Perhaps you would like to watch a little of the Cubs game, or talk some more". The man replied, "I would love to join you", and the priest responded as the two men got up to leave, "Also, the church needs some minor refurbishing you might find interesting".

The end.

 

Reviews

[Gio S.P.]

My goodness, did this story strike right to the heart. I almost felt the man's anguish and uncontrollable fear. I am not a man of faith but I do not deter others from theirs. However, this story brought few tears to my eyes and made me realize that one person can truly make a difference. I felt hope for Richard and, although knowing that this is fiction, hope that in whatever future fiction he lives in that he lives it well. Also, red wine does wonders, haha! Take care and thank you for the wonderful read!! Please, if possible, take a look at some of my work? It would mean a lot. Have an amazing day/night!

[RW]

I am humbled by the reviewer's kind words, and very pleased he enjoyed the story. I hope to return the favor.