Student Question
Why did Father Gilligan grieve and why did he repent?
Quick answer:
Father Gilligan grieves because he is old, tired, and overworked, having had a long, exhausting day. Despite his fatigue, he is called to help another person. He repents for his initial frustration, asking God's forgiveness, acknowledging that it was his weary body speaking. His repentance stems from his understanding that his duty is to comfort others, similar to how God provides him comfort throughout the poem.
Father Gilligan grieves at the beginning of the poem because he is old, tired, and overworked. He has, it seems, had a long and tiring day. But instead of being able to relax, he gets summoned by yet another person needing his help.
When you say that he repents, I assume what you mean is that he immediately asks God's forgiveness. He says that was just his body speaking. He repents because he knows that his job is to try to give comfort to other people -- sort of as God gives him comfort in the rest of the poem.
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