---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The priest motioned for the congrecation…"
description: "\"“The priest motioned for the congrecation to sit, then welcomed everyone in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He wasn't so much thin as soft..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/natalie-baszile-56188_brown-hair_the-priest-motioned-for-the-congrecation_386685.jpg"
---

#  The priest motioned for the congrecation to sit, then…

![“The priest motioned for the congrecation to sit, then welcomed everyone in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He wasn't so much thin as soft, with wisps of dull brown hair and oversize glasses that made him look gooberish. As he shook holy water over a bundle of cane stalks leaning…” quote by Natalie Baszile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/natalie-baszile-56188_brown-hair_the-priest-motioned-for-the-congrecation_386685.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/natalie-baszile-56188_brown-hair_the-priest-motioned-for-the-congrecation_386685.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/natalie-baszile-56188_brown-hair_the-priest-motioned-for-the-congrecation_386685.jpg)

> ““The priest motioned for the congrecation to sit, then welcomed everyone in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He wasn't so much thin as soft, with wisps of dull brown hair and oversize glasses that made him look gooberish. As he shook holy water over a bundle of cane stalks leaning against the wall, Charley wondered if his blessing would be powerful enough, because from where she sat, it looked like he'd have trouble asking for extra mayo on his sandwich.””

[Natalie Baszile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-baszile/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A priest’s humble, quirky presence contrasts with the solemn ritual, prompting doubts about the power of his blessing.

**In simple terms:** A priest looks odd while blessing.

Key Takeaway

Consider the substance over appearances.

Themes

faith ritual appearance doubt

Mood

humorous thoughtful

Type

narrative observational

When to use this quote

- church services
- personal prayers
- family gatherings
- cultural ceremonies

Key Concepts

symbolism humanity ritual efficacy

Questions to Reflect On

- Do appearances affect belief in blessings?
- How can we focus on meaning beyond superficial traits?

A Different Perspective

The priest’s personal quirks may distract from the spiritual intent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Blessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Holy spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy-spirit/) [Holy water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy-water/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priest/)

## Related quotes

> [ “The fact that these kits \[vampire protection\] were generally useless didn’t bother me nearly as much as the idea of holy water being sold… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-harper/the-fact-that-these-kits-vampire-protection-were-generally-useless/)

[Molly Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-harper/)

> [Just went to a lovely Catholic wedding. I need a drink. They didn't even offer us water. Well they did, but it was Holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-saget/just-went-to-a-lovely-catholic-wedding-i-need-a-drink-they-didn-t/)

[Bob Saget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-saget/)

> [“I was ready when Quentin approached me after school the following day. “Genie,” he said. “Please. Let me expl—moomph!” “Stay away,” I said, mashing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-yee/i-was-ready-when-quentin-approached-me-after-school-the-following-day/)

[F.C. Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-yee/)

> [“If you had watched any of those three wonderful films, you would have caught Vampire Gym Teacher # 2: Back to Cruel, where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-fischer/if-you-had-watched-any-of-those-three-wonderful-films-you-would-have/)

[Rusty Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-fischer/)

> [“Ben had the most expressive face I’d ever seen. When he told a story, he dove into it, re-enacting each character with a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-duff/ben-had-the-most-expressive-face-i-d-ever-seen-when-he-told-a-story/)

[Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-duff/)

> [“The obstinacy of antiquated institutions in perpetuating themselves resembles the stubbornness of the rancid perfume which should claim our hair, the pretensions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-obstinacy-of-antiquated-institutions-in-perpetuating-themselves/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [Well look, I mean, I think that prayer and holy water, and things like that are all fine. They don't do any good, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/well-look-i-mean-i-think-that-prayer-and-holy-water-and-things-like/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“performed to the imaginary Vaastu Purusha. The place is scrupulously cleaned and a light is carried to the centre of the house where a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajender-menen/performed-to-the-imaginary-vaastu-purusha-the-place-is-scrupulously/)

Rajender Menen

> [“Holy water cannot help you now A thousand armies couldn’t keep me out See, I’ve come to burn your kingdom down I’ve come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/holy-water-cannot-help-you-now-a-thousand-armies-couldn-t-keep-me-out/)

[Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/)

> [“Mallet? Check. Wooden stake—hickory, of course? Check. Crucifix? Well, yeah. Like five of those. Rohypnol? Check. Holy water? Check. Eyeliner? Check. Yeah, eyeliner. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mallet-check-wooden-stake-hickory-of-course-check-crucifix-well-yeah/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I didn’t know if he was crying for what he’d lost, or for what he’d never had, but there was a beauty in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/i-didn-t-know-if-he-was-crying-for-what-he-d-lost-or-for-what-he-d/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“Before entering a new home a Vaastu puja is performed to the imaginary Vaastu Purusha. The place is scrupulously cleaned and a light is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajender-menen/before-entering-a-new-home-a-vaastu-puja-is-performed-to-the/)

Rajender Menen

> [Birth: The first and direst of all disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/birth-the-first-and-direst-of-all-disasters/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [Give me a mirror.Or holy water. I'll drink it,even!" I gasped as someone threw water on the side of my face. "A little warning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/give-me-a-mirror-or-holy-water-i-ll-drink-it-even-i-gasped-as-someone/)

[Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/)

> [“We vampires are just so sick of misinformation. We’re not undead. We don’t have a problem with sunlight. Or garlic. Or silver and crosses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chessela-helm/we-vampires-are-just-so-sick-of-misinformation-we-re-not-undead-we/)

[Chessela Helm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chessela-helm/)

## More by Natalie Baszile

> [“Every morning when I wake up and look in the mirror, I see a black face and I love it. Sure, I've been to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-baszile/every-morning-when-i-wake-up-and-look-in-the-mirror-i-see-a-black/)

[Natalie Baszile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-baszile/)

> [“Denton struck Charley as the kind of man who never wasted energy on extra movement or idle chitchat. He was foursquare Sonny Boy Williamson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-baszile/denton-struck-charley-as-the-kind-of-man-who-never-wasted-energy-on/)

[Natalie Baszile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-baszile/)

> [“Girl, you're free, can't you see that? You've got your child, you've got your family down here who love you, you've got your farm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-baszile/girl-you-re-free-can-t-you-see-that-you-ve-got-your-child-you-ve-got/)

[Natalie Baszile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-baszile/)

> [“Charley thought of her father. He'd always told her she should never make assumptions about other people's time or their money, and that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-baszile/charley-thought-of-her-father-he-d-always-told-her-she-should-never/)

[Natalie Baszile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-baszile/)

> [“It was like her father said: never make people glad twice-glad to see you come, and glad to see you go”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-baszile/it-was-like-her-father-said-never-make-people-glad-twice-glad-to-see/)

[Natalie Baszile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-baszile/)

[Explore all 6 Natalie Baszile quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-baszile/)

## More Blessing quotes

> [Being a new mother is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaedra-parks/being-a-new-mother-is-a-blessing/)

[Phaedra Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaedra-parks/)

> [God loves to glorify himself by suspending his gifts and blessings on our asking him for them. We should never presume to receive from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-storms/god-loves-to-glorify-himself-by-suspending-his-gifts-and-blessings-on/)

[Sam Storms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-storms/)

> [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/)

[Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/)

> [Life is all about experiences and being able to work with good people is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhumika-chawla/life-is-all-about-experiences-and-being-able-to-work-with-good-people/)

[Bhumika Chawla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhumika-chawla/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [“When Jesus finished teaching in a synagogue one day, a woman called out from the audience, 'God bless your mother—the womb from which you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/when-jesus-finished-teaching-in-a-synagogue-one-day-a-woman-called/)

[Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/)

> [“I've never felt a pain that didn't bear a blessing. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-knudsen-hoffman/i-ve-never-felt-a-pain-that-didn-t-bear-a-blessing/)

Gene Knudsen Hoffman

> [Mechanical instruments, potentially a vehicle of rational human purposes, are scarcely a blessing when they enable the gossip of the village idiot and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/mechanical-instruments-potentially-a-vehicle-of-rational-human/)

[Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/)

> [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/)

[D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/)

> [The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy. Others attain unto a glory and may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigham-young/the-only-men-who-become-gods-even-the-sons-of-god-are-those-who-enter/)

[Brigham Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigham-young/)

> [Being of Indian heritage is a challenge - and it's a blessing as well sometimes - because being good isn't good enough. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sacha-dhawan/being-of-indian-heritage-is-a-challenge-and-it-s-a-blessing-as-well/)

[Sacha Dhawan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sacha-dhawan/)

> [“Time wasted can never be compensated”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/time-wasted-can-never-be-compensated/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [The Louvre! The Louvre has me in its clutches. Every time I'm there rich blessings rain down upon me. I am coming to understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-modersohn-becker/the-louvre-the-louvre-has-me-in-its-clutches-every-time-i-m-there/)

[Paula Modersohn-Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-modersohn-becker/)

> [Life is such a very troublesome matter, when all is said and done, that it's as well even to take its blessings quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-braddon/life-is-such-a-very-troublesome-matter-when-all-is-said-and-done-that/)

[Mary Elizabeth Braddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-braddon/)

> [Down where I grew up, able-bodied people do that which we believe God created them to do. Work is a blessing; it's not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-southerland/down-where-i-grew-up-able-bodied-people-do-that-which-we-believe-god/)

[Steve Southerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-southerland/)

[Browse all 4,617 Blessing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The priest motioned for the congrecation to sit, then welcomed everyone in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He wasn't so much thin as soft, with wisps of dull brown hair and oversize glasses that made him look gooberish. As he shook holy water over a bundle of cane stalks leaning against the wall, Charley wondered if his blessing would be powerful enough, because from where she sat, it looked like he'd have trouble asking for extra mayo on his sandwich.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Natalie Baszile"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-baszile/the-priest-motioned-for-the-congrecation-to-sit-then-welcomed/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blessing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-baszile/the-priest-motioned-for-the-congrecation-to-sit-then-welcomed/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/natalie-baszile-56188_brown-hair_the-priest-motioned-for-the-congrecation_386685.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/natalie-baszile-56188_brown-hair_the-priest-motioned-for-the-congrecation_386685.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/natalie-baszile-56188_brown-hair_the-priest-motioned-for-the-congrecation_386685.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The priest motioned for the congrecation to sit, then welcomed everyone in the name of the Father, Son and…” — Natalie Baszile",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Natalie Baszile",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-baszile/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The priest motioned for the congrecation...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-baszile/the-priest-motioned-for-the-congrecation-to-sit-then-welcomed/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-baszile/the-priest-motioned-for-the-congrecation-to-sit-then-welcomed/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
