His disciples asked him, ‘Teacher, tell us: What is good pastoral care?’
He replied, ‘A certain man wanted to take a
train from Cardiff to St. David. Three priests
were standing on the platform with him.
The man, who was terrified of train travel, asked them, ‘Is this train
safe?’
The first priest, who believed
that all train travel was safe, assured the man that it mattered not which
train he took or where he travelled. ‘You
shall be safe,’ he stated firmly, ‘and know of a certainty that the Church has
blessed this train.’ Then he gave the
man an encouraging smile.
The second priest,
who had planned to go to Oxford, said, ‘I shall change my ticket, travel with
you, sit beside you to encourage you along the way, and have shared
conversations.’ With that, he climbed
onto the train with the man, helping him with his baggage.
The third priest, who moments earlier had
checked the train news on his Smartphone, yelled, ‘Get off the train! The bridge is out and you shall surely
perish, all of you!’
Then, turning to
Peter, the teacher asked, ‘Which of the priests gave good pastoral care?’ ‘I suppose,’ answered Peter, ‘the second one,
who stayed off his cell phone and gave the man his full attention and good company.’
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