:18:01
Stop! Stop it!
:18:12
Good morning.
:18:14
Today's my birthday and I'd like to
invite you over for a drink after Mass.
:18:20
I had no say over my birth date.
:18:27
Dearly beloved, I am truly happy
:18:31
to see you all gathered
in our little church.
:18:34
The whole parish is here,
:18:36
including some clever folks
- too clever, perhaps -
:18:40
who generally ignore Mass
and hang around in the cafe.
:18:44
I won't name it - it's our only cafe
- or name them,
:18:48
since everyone's staring at them already.
:18:52
I hope this shames them,
rather than making them laugh.
:18:56
Your hands are joined, your eyes moist.
Today you are all steeped in faith.
:19:02
But God knows that your piety
is due to your spring
:19:06
and that your prayers are merely
pleas for your beans,
:19:09
orisons for your tomatoes,
hallelujahs for your potatoes,
:19:13
and hosannas for your marrows!
:19:19
Now, I must speak seriously
about the spring.
:19:24
I keep asking myself the question:
:19:27
Why has this water, once so plentiful,
suddenly dried up in our hour of need?
:19:37
I once read in a Greek tragedy,
a profane work of literature,
:19:42
that Thebes was struck
by a calamitous plague
:19:45
because its king
had committed some crimes.
:19:49
And so I ask myself:
:19:52
Is there a criminal among us?
:19:56
It's quite possible,
:19:58
since many wicked crimes
escape the justice of men,