Father Stan Swamy, the 84-year-old activist arrested on trumped up charges, died today. I have nothing more to say on the sheer sadism of terrorizing an old frail man without any discernible political benefit. I came across a photo of him in hospital with a breathing tube in him, while chained to the bed. Neither do I have nay political insight to offer nor do I have the talent to turn my horror into art. But, the news got me thinking about priesthood as a vocation for sensitive and gentlemen. I have met some priests who seemed like and by all accounts are the kindest of people. And, it strikes me that priesthood, at least in theory, is one of the few vocations for men where so-called feminine qualities like gentleness and generosity are valued, and not seen as a sign of inadequacy. I suppose there are other professions, like social worker or teacher, but I don't think kindness and gentleness are the most prominent attributes of those professions. I know I have a very idealized vision of priesthood and churches are not paragons of progressivism but we badly need more such models of masculinity.
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