My friend the priest

By Mark Nwagwu in The Guardian

IN some moments of deep reflection you may look at yourself and find totally unexplainable events or circumstances that not only transformed your way of life in the world but radically overhauled your soul leading it along the path of greater closeness to God. In particular, you may find your mind has been blown open making it so easy for you to have a direct and immediate friend-to-friend conversation with God. The contemplative soul in the middle of the world is, to me, the highest state of being. Fr. Munoz, my good friend over the years has held me in his strong, loving hands and led me along the path that brought me face to face with Our Lord as I sit with my thoughts. A very sweet man, he will be fifty years a priest on August 9, 2009. I always tell him that if he got to heaven and St. Peter gave him a hard time before letting him in, all he need say is "Look at all I did for the Nwagwus." "Ah! Please come in Louis, yes, yes, you moved mountains for the Nwagwus," the 'guardian with the keys to heaven' would say.

I am writing this piece at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, where my wife, Helen, is a 1974 alumna in clinical psychology and I, formerly, an associate professor. Now, our grandson, Chidozie Daniels, will be a freshman in September and we are here to introduce him to our friends and see him go through registration. He is the son of our daughter Ugochi and Onuora, at whose wedding Fr. Munoz was the officiating priest in January 1991. I was so happy that when it was time for dancing, I briefly abandoned Helen and went over to Fr. Munoz, took his unwilling hands and lifted him up for a dance. After a few embarrassing steps he quietly and prudently reminded me, "Mark, this is not your wedding." I got the message and let the genial Father return to his seat. Yes he is a priest. To me, he is my friend

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