Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:05 Maria peri, my name, father and son, the holy spirit. Amen. Late one spring in 1908. After having finally finished hearing the confessions at a mission, he was preaching in English parish, an Irish Jesuit by the name of father William Doyle was walking back to his quarters. When he ran into a young woman, walking the street, father Doyle stopped her and asked my child aren't you out very late. Won't you go home. Then he paused and added very kindly don't hurt Jesus. He loves you. And then he went on his way. Two years later, father Doyle had just finished preaching a retreat near Dublin when a superior telegram him in ordered him to catch the boat that very night to England in order to make a morning meeting with a governor of a British prison concerning a very urgent matter. The next morning, when father reached the prison, the governor thanked him. It is good of you, sir, to come all this way at such a short notice, a woman has been asking of you earnestly, and it will comfort her to see you. But the whole thing is a mystery to me said, father Doyle, who is this woman? And why does she wanna see me?
Speaker 1 00:01:19 Her name is Fannie cran Bush. She is a girl of the unfortunate class who was convicted for a part. In that poisoning case you may have seen in the papers after a trial, she was asked if she would like to see some minister of religion. She said she had no religion and no need of a minister a few days ago. However, she had said she had changed her mind and would like to see a certain priest. What is his name? I asked, I don't know if she replied well, where does he live? I don't know if she replied, but how can I get you a priest whose name and address? You don't know. All I can tell you that this priest was in Yarmouth. About two years ago, I was told he was from Ireland and he was giving something called a mission and a church there for God's sake. Get him for me. She replied, I'll do my best. I replied and got into communication with the police in Yarmouth. I in Yamo at the Jesuit church, the police were formed that if father William Doyle from Dublin had given a mission there a couple of years, previously, a telegram was sent to your superior. And here you are, I'll take you to her. There are still some hours yet before the execution takes place. And if you wish you may stay with her until the end
Speaker 1 00:02:32 Father Doyle was taken to a cell and they're on the edge of a cot with her head bowed said a 20 some year old girl. Oh father, thank God. You've come. I'm glad I've come. And now you was telling me why you've sent for me. Have we ever met before? Yes, father. But of course you don't remember two years ago, you stopped me in the street. One night in Yarmouth. I was a bad girl, have been all my life and was out on my work of sin. You said to me, my child, aren't you out very late. Won't you go home. Don't hurt Jesus. He loves you. You said this so gently. So appealingly and then you gave me a look that seemed to go right through me. I remember now said, father Doyle, your look and your words stunned me. I actually turned back and went home in a day's state all that night. I lay awake. The words don't hurt Jesus. He loves you. Kept bringing my ears. Had I hurt Jesus. Did he love me? Who was he? I knew so little about him. I'd had almost no schooling and even less religion. I'd never prayed. I'd never been baptized yet. Don't hurt Jesus. He loves you seem to find an echo in my heart.
Speaker 1 00:03:57 I saw you once again, father, after that night, I was with another girl and you passed on the other side of the street, who is that? I asked, I hear he is from Ireland is giving a mission or something here. She replied for weeks after that, I kept off the streets, but then want and hunger drove me out again. I San lower and lower until now I'm to be hanged. I came here hard and defined it unrepentant. Then one day your words came back to me. Don't hurt Jesus. He loves you. Something seemed to snap within me and I began to cry and there came a great longing to see you and to learn more about Jesus. Now that of you come won't you tell me more about him. Won't you set my feet on the road that leads to him. Father Doyle asked, does this mean you wish to know about the one true faith that you wanna become a Catholic? Yes, father I do with all my heart, the Sanchez were quickly explained and drunken with eagerness by a soul that thirsted thirsted for the truth. Then the waters of baptism were poured upon her head
Speaker 1 00:05:19 And all her wicked passed was washed away. There wasn't much time. Father Doyle hurried away, got the necessary permissions and material for saying mass. A tiny altar was erected in he cell. And finally heard her first and last mass and received regard for the first and last time she refused the breakfast, offered her with a smiling. Thanks. She said I've just eaten the bread of life. As she walked to the scaffolds with father Doyle beside her, she whispered I'm so happy father Jesus <affirmative>. Jesus knows that. I'm sorry for having heard him. And I know that Jesus loves me a moment later in Fannie cran Bush with a baptism rose UNS spotted was in arms of Jesus. I'm so happy father. Jesus knows that. I'm sorry for having hurt him. And I know that Jesus loves me. There's a lot of lessons we can draw from the story over hanging lots of them this morning. We only have time to briefly consider four. And so we'll just have to leave the rest for you to mu over first I'll bet. There's not a lot of people praying to Fannie cran Bush prayed asked Herc with father Doyle who has tons of miracles and the sacred heart for the conversion of one year desperate cases. You'll see.
Speaker 1 00:07:13 Second, obviously it's a story about the love of God, the love of God for a sinner, astonishing reality that God actually loves sinners, sinners like you and I. He actually loves us. Think about that during the line in the creed we prop how Manye prop nose, him SA chilis for us, man, for our salvation. He came down from heaven for us sinful man, and for our salvation, he came down from heaven. He loves us. He died for us. And so often we show him our gratitude by sinning, after what did our Lord say? As he held out his sacred heart to St. Margaret Mary behold, the heart to his love man. So, uh, much and been loved. So little in return. What do we see when we look at an image of the sacred heart, the Lord's sacred heart pierced droplets of his precious blood crown with thorns surmounted by a cross and surrounded by flames. Why? Because he's burning with love for us. He loves us so much. His heart is so inflamed with love with us that it's incandescent. And we see his wounds,
Speaker 1 00:08:37 Those wounds, even though he raised himself up from the dead, he didn't heal those great wounds. He kept him. Why? Because he loves us. He kept those scars outta love. Those are his battle, scars, his battle, scars of love that he shows to his heavenly father. And Jesus holds up those wounds before the heavenly father to constantly remind his father how much he loves us. And each one of us can honestly say that if we were the only out of the billions and billions of men that have ever lived, if I were the only men that had ever sinned, if I were the only sinner, he still, he loves me so much that he would've still come down to earth and gone through all those terrible sufferings and that death on the cross. He would've still done all that for me, even if I were the only sinner that ever lived, each one of us can say that if I were the only sinner, who've gone through all that for me.
Speaker 1 00:09:38 So one of the things we can see in the story of the hanging of Fannie cran Bush is the love of the sacred heart for a sinner. Third, another point worth pondering is the instrument which God chose to ring his love to this condemned woman. We should ponder the absolute importance of father de Doyle. The priest as an instrument of God's love in that regard will briefly ponder some of the beautiful words from a beloved Pope Benedict's letter announced in the year of the priest quote, the priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus. The St Lee Kerry of ours would often say this touching expression makes us reflect. First of all, with heartfelt gratitude on the immense gift, which priests represent not only for the church, but also for humanity itself here, the teaching example of St. John Mary Ney can serve as a significant point of reference for us.
Speaker 1 00:10:35 All the cure of ours was quite humble. It is a priest who's conscious of being an immense gift to his people. A good shepherd, a past for God's heart is the greatest treasure, which the good Lord can grant to a parish. And one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy, he spoke of the priesthood. It as if incapable of fathoming, the grander of the gift and task and trusted to a human creature. Well, how great is the priest? If we realized what he is, he would die. God obeys him. He utters a few words. And the Lord Des descends from heaven at his voice to be contained within a small host, explain to his parishioners importance of the sacraments. He would say without the sacrament of holy orders, we would not have the Lord who put him there in the tabernacle, the priest who welcomed your soul at the beginning of your life, the priest who feeds your soul and gives its strength for the journey, the priest who would prepare it to appear before God baiting it.
Speaker 1 00:11:35 One last time in the blood of Jesus Christ, the priest, always the priest. And if this socially happen to die as a result of sin, who raise it up, who restores Colin peace again, the priest after God, the priest is everything only in heaven. Will he fully realize what he, these words welling up from the priestly heart of the holy pastor might sound excessive. If they reveal the highest steam in which he held the sacrament of the priesthood, he seemed overwhelmed by a boundless sense of responsibility. We to fully realize what a priest is on earth. We would die, not a fright, but of love without the priest. The passion and death of our Lord would be of no veil. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption on earth. What use would be a house filled with gold, where they're no one to open its door. The priest told Zak key to the treasures of heaven. As he opens the door, he is a steward of the good Lord. The administrative is goods. Leave a parish for 20 years without a priest. And it'll end by worshiping the beast there. The priest is not a priest for himself. He's a priest for you.
Speaker 1 00:12:44 Close quotes, Benedict the 16th. The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus. Without the priest, the passion death of our Lord would be of no avail. It's the priesthood continues to work redemption on earth. What used would be a house filled with gold, where they're no one to open its door. The priest hold Zuke to the treasures of heaven. And as he opens the door, he is stored at the good Lord. The administrator of his goods, the priest does not priest for himself. He is a priest for you. So another point brought home by the hanging of Fannie cran Bush, his importance of the priest as an instrument of God's love. And the fourth and final point we'll consider today is something that we all know, perhaps we haven't sufficiently considered an implication contained in the last words of Fannie cran Bush. But in order to draw this out, let's take a moment briefly to consider another aspect of love.
Speaker 1 00:13:39 We all know that to love, to really love somebody is risky, who can hurt us most deeply. Those that we really love to really love someone's risk, rejection, risk, pain, risk being hurt to love us at the same time to be vulnerable. So when we're an authentically loving relationship, husband and wife, parent, and child to a dear friends, priest, and parishioner, we've allowed ourselves to be vulnerable. We've taken a risk of being hurt. Suppose that risk becomes a reality. Suppose we've been really hurt by a dear friend, a spouse, a child, we've all experienced that. And at that point, what do we really hope for? We hope that the other party will make amends. Don't we, our wounded love cries out from the death. So heart it protests. I trusted you. I love you. What have you done? Don't you care? Can't you see what I'm going through? Don't you love me. Our wounded heart cries out to the other party to repair the damage. So does that have to do with Fannie's last words, quote, I'm so happy father. Jesus knows that. I'm sorry for having hurt him. And I know that Jesus loves me close. Quote. Jesus knows that. I'm sorry for having hurt him.
Speaker 1 00:14:53 Our sins hurt Jesus. One of the most astonishing, perhaps the most astonishing thing about God becoming a man is that he's allowed himself to be vulnerable. The almighty God has allowed himself to be vulnerable, allowed himself to be wounded by his own creatures and not just the wounding from the scouring and the nails as horrific as those are. But the wounds of love everyone here that has ever been wounded by someone. They love. Take a moment and think of what our sins cost our Lord in the garden. Take a moment. Think about the unbelievable pain, but remember the difference. The infinite difference between the sins of an ignorant and UNAP, Fannie cran Bush in our sins, we who by our baptism have actually received the spirit of adoption. We who by grace have actually become adopted members of the family of God, adopted brothers of Jesus Christ, adopted sons of the heavenly father, adopted sons of the bless of Virgin. Mary. Think of the infinite difference between the sins of a stranger to the household of God, like Fannie, the sins of adopted children like you and I. And once we've pondered that reality, then turn and consider our Lord. As he lays there, pressed down flat in the garden, Yosemite by the sins of the world and think of as wanted love, crying out from depth of the sacred heart to you, or do I, I trusted you.
Speaker 1 00:16:16 I love you. I brought you into my family. I died for you. What have you done? Don't you care? Can't you see what I'm going through? Don't you love me. Fannie was sorry. Are we each one of us should ask himself? Can I honestly say that? Jesus knows that. I'm sorry for having heard him.
Speaker 0 00:16:57 Can I say that?
Speaker 1 00:17:00 What have I done to make amends for my sins? Have I made amends with God? Have I got serious about avoiding sin in the near occasion of sin? Have I definitively repented made a firm purpose of amendment made a good confession? So the final point brought home by the story of the hanging of Fanny cran. Bush is astonishing reality that our sins have hurt Jesus, that in agony of the garden, from the very depths of his sacred heart, his wounded love cried out to each one of us. I trusted you. I love you. I brought you to my family. I died
Speaker 0 00:17:45 For you.
Speaker 1 00:17:47 What have you done? Don't you care? Can't you see what I'm going through? Don't you love me. Now. He allows us and wants us to make mens, to make reparation for our sins.
Speaker 1 00:18:10 Let's close. Every time we hear the line in the creed we prop. So that prop him salt, him de chilis for us meant for our salvation. He came down from heaven. He came down from heaven. Let us think about the astonishing fact that God loves sinners like us. Every time we see a priest, let us think about these words, the carry of ours without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no. Veil is the priest who continues to work for redemption on earth. What use would must be filled with gold, where they're no one to open its door. The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven. And as he opens the door, he is a steward of the good Lord. The administrator of his goods. The priest is not a priest for himself. He is a priest for you. And when we see a priest or think of a priest, let's say a prayer for the man. And finally let us pray that we get serious about making reparation for sin, about avoiding sin, the near occasion of sin. That every time we find ourselves tempted to sin, we might have the grace to hear ringing in our ears. Don't hurt Jesus. He loves you.
Speaker 1 00:19:23 He really loves you.
