In the old church there was a solemn silence. The thick walls muffled even whispers, and all eyes were fixed on the infant the young woman was holding in her arms. The priest was preparing to read the next prayer when suddenly a sharp, cracking voice rang out.
The mother-in-law.
She was standing behind them, her face twisted, no longer trying to hold back.
“Look at her!” she shouted so loudly that even the candles trembled at her voice. “She does everything wrong! She even managed to ruin my grandson’s christening! Are you even a normal mother?! And who even let you into our family?!”
Several women near the icons flinched. The guests exchanged glances, whispered, but the mother-in-law seemed to have lost control.
“You even gave birth wrong! And you don’t know how to raise a child! I told you — the christening gown should’ve been different! But no, of course she knows better!” she spat angrily. “Disgrace! A disgrace to the whole family! God will punish you.”
The young woman stood motionless, only holding the baby tighter. Her breathing faltered, but she remained silent, afraid she might drop the child from all the tension.
The priest slowly closed the book. His face darkened — like storm clouds before heavy rain. He took a step forward and did something after which the mother-in-law deeply regretted her actions and begged for forgiveness on her knees 😨😢
Continuation in the first comment 👇👇
The priest suddenly said loudly:
— Enough.
The mother-in-law tried to say something, but he raised his hand, and her voice died in her throat.
— Servant of God, — he said in a cold, stone-like voice, — right now you are behaving worse than any unholy person who has never stepped into a church. At this holy sacrament you dare to insult the child’s mother? Here, before the font, next to the angel who has just come into this world?
She blinked rapidly, but he continued, raising his voice:
— Your words are filthy. Your accusations are a sin. You have humiliated the woman whose arms are holding your grandson, and therefore you have humiliated him as well. You are not shaming her… you are shaming yourself. And your whole family.
The church stood in silence like the moment before thunder strikes.
The priest took another step forward.
— I will not touch this child and will not continue the ceremony until you repent. On your knees. Right now.
The mother-in-law turned pale like a stone statue.
— I… I just…
— On. Your. Knees, — he repeated, emphasizing each word. — And ask her for forgiveness just as loudly as you shouted your insults.
People around held their breath.
The elderly woman stared at the floor, but her legs buckled on their own. She sank onto the cold stone tiles, heavily, awkwardly. Gasps spread through the church.
— Forgive… — she whispered almost inaudibly.
The priest barked sharply:
— Louder.
— Forgive me! — the mother-in-law cried out, her voice trembling. — I was wrong… forgive me…
The young woman only nodded, still holding the baby tightly.
The priest blessed her with a gentle motion of his hand and returned to the ceremony as if nothing had happened.
But the heavy silence remained in the church, and no one dared to utter another word.
