Did father Brennan seek to crush him underfoot? It certainly felt as though he was stamped on again before he had the chance to get up. But before he could completely drown in despair, the other priest moved on, and Gabriel saw a chance to finish soon and drown in despair in the privacy of his room instead.

"I lost my temper this morning at our guest. And I went to do some house calls, but I wasn't available to the people, I wasn't attentive to them the way I should have been and was in a rush to leave, even though I had nothing urgent to do." Whatever other sins he had on his list, he had forgotten them now. "For these and any sins I may have forgotten to mention, I ask God's forgiveness," he finished.