Hearing Spencer’s confession: Father Gabriel is a good priest again

Father Gabriel is still wearing his collar in Alexandria. He gave Spencer a nice dose of advice in the last episode of The Walking Dead.

We know a little bit about our characters before the apocalypse on The Walking Dead, but other than Rick and Shane on the job right before Rick got shot, we haven’t really seen much of what they were like back then.

We do know that Rick wore his sheriff’s uniform for quite a while and when Rick and MIchonne became constables, they wore a uniform as well. The cops at Grady wore uniforms, and the hospital people wore scrubs. Abraham was thrilled to find a dress blue jacket.

Rick asked Gabriel why he was still wearing his collar and Tara asked Gabriel if he was still a priest. We don’t know what kind of priest Gabriel was before the apocalypse, but in the last episode we got an idea about how he might have advised members of his congregation.

It seems that the car is the apocalypse confessional. Tara talked to Gabriel in the car with him and Jesus outside the satellite outpost after she had said goodbye to Denise without telling her she loved her. Now Spencer was confessing his thoughts about Rick to Gabe in the car on a scavenging trip for Negan.

After hearing Spencer’s confession and Gabriel’s response, I think that Gabe was probably a darned good priest before the dead surrounded the little church in the woods where he always locked the doors at night.

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A good priest doesn’t judge. A good priest listens. A good priest learns from his mistakes. A good priest knows he is human. A good priest doesn’t talk too much. A good priest helps people to help themselves.

Spencer is angry. Spencer is being a big baby. Spencer has good in him. Spencer’s anger, guilt, and grief have nowhere to be directed so he is directing them toward Rick. Before his mother died, he even directed his anger toward her. Poor Deanna had two spoiled children. But she taught them a good lesson: someday this pain will be useful to you.

Father Gabriel had anger guilt and grief at one point when we knew him. He misdirected it, too. Gabriel was naive about the apocalypse at one point. He had to wake up, too. Gabriel had thoughts that made him a shit and a big baby at one point. He had people who brought out the good in him, too. Gabriel’s pain has been useful to him.

Next: Gabriel's powerful little line of dialogue

Gabriel listened. He didn’t judge. His words to Spencer illustrated the fact that Gabriel acknowledges that he, himself, is human and has learned from his mistakes. He didn’t talk too much. He said enough to hopefully help Spencer to start helping himself.