Our Lady of Miracles

Our Lady of Miracles

Man! What a long day! I just got in to my hotel room. It's 11pm. But it wasn't a bad day. I got everything accomplished I set out to do, and had a couple of good meditative hours--probably not good while I'm driving, but evidently the Holy Spirit was in the car with me--I made it safely.

My plans were to be finished with the "work" part of my day by 3:30, and it was exactly 3:30 when I got back to Stockton after a trip to Merced, Sonora, Merced, Modesto then home. I thought I would take I-5 to Bakersfield to cut about 1/2 hour off of my drive. That would put me in Los Banos about 5pm. I looked online to find out if the church in Los Banos had a Mass in the evening, but no go. Then I thought, "Why not check some of the small towns around there?" I had to be choosy, because I needed to be in the Fresno Diocese. The priests in the Stockton Diocese are on retreat, so if I went to a Stockton-run parish, it would probably be a communion service, which is just not the same for me spiritually as a Mass.





The church in Gustine, just North of Los Banos listed a Mass at 6:30 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and would be perfect timing. It would allow me about an hour for prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament and then Mass. Of course it would also make me get to Bakersfield later, but the Mass is the highlight of my day, and I reaaalllly hate to miss it. Besides, I am still on my "pilgrimage" to visit every Catholic church in the Central Valley of California and I had not been to this church yet. I wasn't disappointed.





I got to the church, Our Lady of Miracles (isn't that a great name?) at 5pm as expected and the door was open. What a beautiful little church! It was established in 1919. It still has the communion rail both in the church and in the adoration chapel, and has a statue of Our Lady for just about every apparition and name she is known by in every nook and cranny. I had read the establishment date before finding the church and expected an older "feel". I was struck by how "new" and "modern" it was inside. It made me think of Mom. She was born the same year and we have talked a lot about how she doesn't feel nearly as old as she is. Now whenever I see Mom I'll think of this church and vice versa.





As soon as I got there, I went directly to the adoration chapel to say my rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet and just visit Our Lord. On the walls on either side of the Tabernacle were painted pictures of angels on clouds sort of "presenting" Jesus to the faithful. Absolutely beautiful. What struck me though was that each time I looked at the "clouds" the angels "flew" in on, I saw something different. You know, like when we were kids we lie on our backs and look at the clouds, trying to "see" something in them. In the chapel today, at first they were just clouds. Then I shut my eyes while saying the rosary. I find it easier to concentrate and meditate with my eyes closed. When I opened them again, I saw the shape of a mother, lying down, with a child lying atop of her in a loving pose. I shut my eyes again to say the Divine Mercy chaplet. This time after opening my eyes, I saw in the shape of the clouds a father, giving a "horseback" ride to a young child. Man, the ideas that the Holy Spirit fills me with in prayer. First, I say our Lady's prayer, and I see a mother with child. Then I say the Divine Mercy and I see a loving father playing with his child. This stuff is too wild to be making it up. Thanks be to God.





By the time I was finished with my prayers and meditation, it was 6:20 and I realized I hadn't seen anybody in the church since I got there. I said, out loud, "Lord, is there a Mass tonight? Let me know, because if there isn't one, I'd like to get going before it gets too late." Sure enough, at that very moment, I hear someone "rustling" outside the door. "Get up and find out," something inside me said. It was the lady who cleans the church. She seemed startled to see me coming out of the chapel, as it was dark when I went in and I couldn't find light switch, so it remained unlit. She probably didn't think anyone was in there. I asked her if there was going to be a Mass tonight, and she said, "I don't know. I'm not usually here at this time of night. I am going out of town tomorrow and something told me I should clean up tonight." Freaky, I tell ya. But at the same time, it shouldn't surprise anyone with as close a relationship to Jesus as I felt this afternoon.





I grabbed a bulletin, and sure enough, there was no Mass scheduled. I think I'll write an email to the pastor and remind him to change his website.





When I got back in the car, it occured to me that since there was no Mass, I wasn't able to recieve Christ in the Eucharist today. But I still feel He "abided" in me and I in Him.





I was going to blog about the Ascension tonight (because that's what I was really meditating on all day), but with the freaky things that happened in the church today, I lost my train of thought. I'll write about the Ascension on Sunday.