Gift or Temptation?
By Donna

When the new Episcopalian priest, Father Walter McBain, had introduced the McDonald girls to the two resident Catholic priests at the party, it had been all Father Ralph could do not to show his astonishment. The middle sister, Hope, looked just like his beloved Meggie!

But with years of experience at covering his emotions, Ralph managed a polite smile and nothing more. But as the evening wore on, all his inner demons began to torment him once more. His struggles were not completely unnoticed. Ralph knew that somehow Father Alec felt something was wrong, even without him saying a word, and his silent support was both comforting and irritating at the same time.

Since coming to Edan, he had opened up to his fellow priest in ways he had never allowed himself to do before, as the two of them hashed out the uniqueness of their situation. They both still felt committed to their vocation, but there were questions about whether or not they were still bound by the constraints placed upon them by a religious body that did not even exist on Edan. They both still felt Catholic, even though there was no papal authority over them any more. It had made for many a good, lively discussion between the two of them. Neither one of them were totally convinced that just because they were in a new world, that the old rules still did not apply.

"If God brings the woman I love here, just like he brought me, then I will know it His will for us to go in this direction," he had announced irritably to Alec just a few hours before the party had begun. Alec had laughed at him, telling him to be careful what he
said.

"I have found that the good Lord seems to have what we would think of as a rather wicked sense of humor," Alec had told him.

As Father Ralph watched the vivacious girl dance with man after man as the evening progressed, he couldn't help but glance up to heaven. It was almost as if he could hear God chuckling at his discomfort. Alec had been right. God did have a sense of humor. She wasn't Meggie, but she looked enough like her to be her twin. Was this to be a sign that the celibacy issue was not relevant here on Edan, or a temptation placed in his path to run from? When Alec left with the youngest McDonald girl to escort her to the church, Ralph felt like racing after him. Anything to avoid facing the issue!

But he stayed. Over the evening, both he and Alec had danced with some of the women, and right now, he was sore pressed not to cut in on the fancy dressed gambler that was dancing with Hope now. Instead, he sought out her older sister, but as he danced with Grace, he found his eyes drifting over to the middle MacDonald girl. The resemblance was uncanny! But it was unlikely Grace noted the little glances he was giving over in Hope's direction. She was keeping even closer tabs on her sister than he was! After their dance, she even apologized for not giving him her full attention, telling him that keeping track of her was going to be quite the chore.

Just before Faith returned with Father Alec, Ralph worked up the nerve to dance with Hope. Her cheeks were flushed prettily from the exertions of the reel she had just danced, but she willingly accepted his invitation. As they danced, Ralph couldn't help
mentally comparing the two women. No, she wasn't his Meggie, but she was close. Very close. Too close for comfort in fact.

* * * *

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alec asked several days later over a cup of tea.

"About what?" Ralph said nonchalantly.

"Hope." Alec watched his friend closely. Was that the slight flinch of a nerve being hit dead on? It was hard to tell. Over the years Ralph had gotten extremely good at covering up things.

"What about her?" Ralph said with a forced smile as he took a bite of the muffin the subject in question had just brought over for them, along with a bouquet of wildflowers for their table. "Her cooking abilities don't seem to match those of Faith or Grace, but who are we to judge? She is trying at least."

Alec laughed and shook his head. The muffins were edible, but just barely. But the girl had seemed so proud of them when she had presented them. Apparently she usually did her best to get out of her share of the kitchen duties and it showed in her cooking
abilities. But ever since Ralph had politely praised a plate of cookies she had brought over, Hope had started making more of an effort in the culinary department.

"Those girls are going to spoil us," Alec chuckled. Ever since they had moved into the house on the other side of the Mission church, they had taken it upon themselves to fatten the two priests up. Grace, with her usual straight forward demeanor had looked them both up and down and told them that they were way too thin and that a good stiff breeze would blow them away. Since then, a goodly portion of everything they cooked for themselves managed to find its way onto the table at the rectory.

Ralph made a face and then took a sip of his tea to wash down the bite of muffin. "It is hard, Alec," he sighed. "And I don't mean this muffin. I have prayed for guidance till I'm blue in the face. I still don't know whether she is a gift from heaven, or a trial of
my faith."

"I know," Alec said gently. "But let me ask you one thing. Could it be that you have already been given God's answer to your questions and that rather that listen to what He has to say, you drown out His voice with your repeated supplications?" He stood up, placing his hand lightly on his friend's shoulder. "Think about it. If one asks a question, it is usually considered good form to pay attention to the answer."

Ralph chuckled and shook his head, smiling wryly. "You seem to have inside information on me, Alec. Do you have any idea how annoying that is? But you are right. The questions have been asked. I should be listening for the answers instead of repeating them over and over. It's a wonder that God doesn't clamp His hands over His ears whenever I'm on my knees." He took another bite of the muffin and grinned. "And my
penance for my inattention of our Lord's teaching will be to eat all of Miss MacDonald's love offering to us."

Alec laughed. "Self abuse is never a good idea, Ralph. Finish the one you are eating, that will be penance enough. And your assignment today is to go find a pleasant spot to sit where you can listen for God's still small voice in the midst of the whirlwind."