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Father, and the ones who killed him were probably not much older, themselves.”
    He had no answers, nor did he have anything new to assure her. “I suppose that all we can do is to stay strong in our Faith–to show the young people that it still matters–that God is still there–and that they can reach out for His divine mercy and forgiveness.”
    He once knew Danny well. He used to come to him for Confession. But that was before that ill-conceived call to the house. He hadn’t thought about how it might look; he was too concerned with what Danny had said.
    Every Saturday night, his grandmother used to queue to put him in Fr. Reilly’s box before joining the line for Fr. Brennan’s. “Sit there and be quiet,” she’d announce in a penetrating whisper, to let Fr. Reilly know he was there waiting alone in the muffled darkness as Fr. Reilly heard the confession from the other side; a doleful litany of human frailties. He hoped that Danny wasn’t listening; that he would be distracting himself with a thorough examination of his own conscience, just like he had been taught.
    Until it was his turn, and Fr. Reilly would lean against his side of the grill, with his hand to his face, so he wouldn’t recognize the boy he knew so well. It was the same thing most weeks but one night stood out.
    **
    “Bless me Father, for I have sinned,” Danny had whispered. “It has been a week since my last confession.”
    “Go on,” Fr. Reilly always had to coax it out of him.
    “Father I’ve been having impure thoughts and I’ve been dishonest in my dealings with others.”
    Since his Confirmation, Danny was no longer content with little venial sins and offered up things that were far more mortal. He was going through that age when boys often confused the murmurings of their bodies with the whisperings of the Devil. Fr. Reilly had heard it all before.
    “I see. Go on.”
    “I told my granny that I’d no homework so that I could watch TV.”
    “Well that’s not right. You must strive to be honest—and to be responsible—in all of your dealings.”
    “I will, Father.”
    “And what about the other part?”
    “Father?”
    “The part about the impure thoughts.”
    “Oh those, Father. They just pop into my mind. I can’t help it.”
    “I see.”
    They both hesitated on their sides of the grill.
    “And I stole a few apples from the shop,” Danny blurted out as if to move things along.
    “Well that’s not a good thing, either. Remember what happened to Adam and Eve?”
    “Yes, Father. Afterwards, I wanted to give them back but I was afraid of getting caught.”
    “Well, are you sorry for your sins, at least?”
    “I am indeed, Father. Every one of them.”
    “Well then, say three Our Fathers and ten Hail Marys and try to remember the story of Adam and Eve because Sin is how we got thrown out from the Garden of Eden.”
    “I will, Father.”
    Fr. Reilly lowered his head and mumbled in Latin, cleansing Danny’s soul of impurities.
    “Is there anything else?” He asked after a few moments, as Danny lingered. “Is there something else you need to get off your mind?”
    “Father, I’ve been praying to God to help my ma but He still hasn’t done anything yet. Is there something else I should be doing? I mean, I’ve tried to be good but it doesn’t seem to be working.”
    Fr. Reilly raised his head and leaned closer to the grill. Even in the gloom, Danny’s boyish face was clear, his deep brown eyes sparkled as his full lips whispered.
    “God works in mysterious ways,” Fr. Reilly decided from all the thoughts he considered. “And it’s hard to know what He has in store for us all. Sometimes, He tests us to see if we’re worthy. That’s why we must go on developing our faith in Him and trust that everything is going according to His plan.”
    “But my ma is so unhappy. Sometimes I worry that she might go and kill herself.”
    “Don’t be thinking like that. Have you prayed for her?”
    “I have,