Father Matthieu: “Our daily life as a priest is unsuspected and wonderful”
You publish “The stories of the heart of a young priest”. In a few words, make our mouths water.
Father Matthieu: I wanted to tell the inner struggles of an ordinary man in an extraordinary life. Our daily life as a priest is unsuspected and wonderful. He needs to be known.
Your latest crush?
Resurrection, by Tolstoy. Like most Russian writers, he allows us to read the nature and nuances of the human heart. To understand the mystery of God, we must go through the mystery of the brother and sister: his heart.
The place that inspires you to create?
My chalet that I built by the water. A place of renewal, it brings balance to my life. I force myself to be bored. Boredom is good. And I miss him.
A character you would like to invite to your table?
I dream of meeting Mary Magdalene so that she can tell me about Jesus: what did she experience with him? Was she the secret lover? What did they tell each other…? I would like to know Jesus through his woman’s heart.
The person you are most grateful for?
The woman of my life: my mother. The more I grow and I listen to mothers confide in me about their daily lives, the more I admire what she has done for me. I often feel unworthy of it.
A gene you’re happy to have inherited?
My grandfather’s good nature. He always smiled and never saw any evil in the hearts of others. He had confidence. I hope I have kept his ability to dare to meet everyone with joy and confidence.
A quality that you will be proud to pass on?
The taste for revealing to others the lights that they are on a daily basis. And the one he carries within them. There is nothing that makes you happier than allowing others to be happy. And even more by revealing to him that he is carrying a treasure.
Which beauty will save the world?
Our ability to listen to ladybugs and talk to daisies. Today we no longer take the time to contemplate a dandelion. I am convinced that if everyone did it, the world would be a happier place.
Pope Francis grants you an audience. What question is burning on your lips?
Why hasn’t he resigned yet? He is a very good pope and a great reformer for whom I have great esteem and admiration. But coming from him, I would have expected that after 10 years, he would hand over the reins to someone else.
For you, Jesus, it is…
He’s the one who transformed my life, who saved me. It gives meaning, taste, price, flavor to existence. It’s God.
