Here I am Lord, I come to do Your will

Friday, October 30, 2009
The Sorrowful Mysteries
Romans 9:1-5
Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
Luke 14:1-6

I have a follow up in reference to Tuesday’s blog “A little bit of yeast”. I am humbled to think that God would use me the way it appears that He did today.

I was driving home from Modesto when I got a call from a co-worker. He asked me if I was going to Mass tonight. I told him no, that I had already gone in the morning. Then I said, “Why? Would you like to go with me?” To which he responded, “I would love to, but I just don’t have the time”. Then he asked me to pray for his family during my prayers tonight. He made a point to tell me not to pray for him, just for his family, and to pray that everything would turn out all right for them. At this, I got very concerned about what he meant by that. But I assured him that he AND his family would all get my prayers this evening.

After he hung up, I immediately changed my plans for the evening of going home early for the first time in a couple of weeks to relax, and stopped at the nearest Adoration Chapel at St. Michael’s church in Stockton to follow through with my promise to my friend and brother in Christ.

During my rosary, I got the thought that I should look for some prayers on line that might encourage my friend to look for the hope that Christ is for us. I found some prayers to St. Joseph and of course the prayer to the Holy Spirit (which is a pretty powerful mainstay for any father), then started to write my friend a letter in which I explained my opinion on prayer. The letter was an entire page with single spacing! I just let the Holy Spirit “speak” through my writing. In all humility, I think Our Lord gave my friend some pretty sound advice through my letter. I guess time will tell.

I was elated that a person who ordinarily doesn’t show much interest in things spiritual was finally humbled enough to recognize he needs Christ’s help to get him through this particular crisis. I guess I was also pleased that Jesus chose me to be the instrument of his request for help. Does that make sense? Is that pride?

There is an expression that "hindsight gives one 20:20 vision." Most of us can think of times when we wished we had stepped forward to help in some situation. Later we realize that what restrained us from acting really wasn't that important after all. Today might be a good time for us to recall some of those reasons that kept, or keep, us from performing acts of charity.

We can always change -- for the good.