A priest is in a car which gets forced off a bridge. He is trying to get free of the car, but he knows he is running out of time. I just stuck the word "prayers" in the passage. What is he saying or doing?
He scrambled frantically with his seatbelt even recited his final prayers. It was never too late for God to save him, never too late for hope, even as the maroon Escalade peeled off, and a pale blue Toyota and Father James descended to the bottom of beautiful Jones Lake.
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Winner 2005: The Tribe of Palmetto Bay
Winner 2006: The Blue Light
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50,053 / 50,000
Nov 18, 2007 - 20 52
A Catholic priest might pray an act of contrition.
Some of them are long, some are short, the one that would occur to him would probably be whichever one he learned in childhood (or when he converted to Catholicism, if he's a convert). The very shortest one I know of is "Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!"
http://www.ewtn.com/library/PRAYER/ACTOFCON.TXT has three more. Where those prayers list resolutions or intentions, he might also add "to receive absolution" - priests go to confession (to other priests, never themselves) just like a non-priest would.
If you don't want to include any words, you might say "he scrambled frantically with his seatbelt, even recited a final act of contrition, the way he had been taught to say it as a seven-year-old boy" or something of the sort.
He might pray a Hail Mary instead: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death," but as a reader I'd find it appropriate to have a priest making an act of contrition.
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Uncle Cosmo, why do they call this a word processor?
It's simple, Skyler. You've seen what food processors do to food, right?
51,481 / 50,000
Nov 18, 2007 - 21 09
I think his humanity would overtake his religion, and he'd be saying-damn, get me out of here!
Sorry for that irreverance. but really, priests are human beings first and his reaction is likely to be to try to save himself, his bodily self.
the act of contrition is a good idea, but I'd save it for when he "goes down for the third time."
jmho
----------Saipanwriter
http://saipanwriter.blogspot.com
United, we H.A.C.K.
50,053 / 50,000
Nov 18, 2007 - 21 33
I suppose my default image of a priest is of a devout priest working on holiness, and that kind of person, to me, when he realized he really was dying, would want to receive last rites - and since that's not an option, he does the best he can.
But even if that's not the case, there's plenty of room for the prayer to be a bargain - "dear God I'm really really REALLY sorry for my sins and if you get me out of this, I really really WILL amend my life this time and I really WILL go to confession RIGHT AWAY, I promise!" - and the original poster did say the priest was praying.
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Uncle Cosmo, why do they call this a word processor?
It's simple, Skyler. You've seen what food processors do to food, right?
80,034 / 50,000
Nov 19, 2007 - 00 09
The "Act of Contrition" sounds good to me. A devout lay person might well do the same.
----------"And the Lord did grin, and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals and fruit bats and large chu--" "Skip a bit, brother."
4,290 / 50,000
Nov 19, 2007 - 05 52
There's always the Hail Mary, otherwise.
"Hail Mary, full of grace
The Lord is with thee
Blessed art thou among women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God
Pray for us sinners now
And at the hour of our death"
I certainly recall in the book "A Bridge Too Far", the character played by Robert Redford in the movie tries to recite this as he paddles across the Rhine in a dangerous river assault. Unfortunately he's somewhat distracted by all the gunfire and explosions and people dying that he just repeats "Hail Mary ... Full of Grace ... Hail Mary ... Full of Grace" with the rhythm of his rowing.
----------If you can fly a Sopwith Camel, you can fly anything.
55,492 / 50,000
Nov 19, 2007 - 06 49
Thanks, folks. I appreciate the help. Contrition or Hail Mary would both work. It's not a long scene, but I needed something a little more personal than just drowning him. He was a nice guy..
----------Winner 2005: The Tribe of Palmetto Bay
Winner 2006: The Blue Light
Life as Fiction http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-Sm5OpvolaaMtY00E8jWCODkBXNA-;_ylt=AveHPsO...