When he was at table with them, he took the bread. He blessed the bread, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him!(Luke 24:13-35)

Sunday, October 9, 2011

A tough act to follow


Dear Lord, You became man, suffered and died to win salvation for all souls. Look graciously on the souls of those who have drifted away from You and the Faith. Grant them Your grace to see the error of their ways and return to the fold in Your care. Teach me to stay close to them during this trying time and to try to convert them by action and prayers more than by words that may antagonize. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust You to do everything to bring them back to You. Amen

Today is my brother Bill’s birthday.  Happy birthday, bro!  I love you. I pray that your special day finds you happy and healthy. I left you a birthday message on your wife’s Facebook page, since you don’t have one!

Leave it to Mom to try and swell my ego!  She knows I subscribe to Liguorian Magazine (an excellent publication, by the way, if you want a good variety of articles about different faith issues and events).  This month there is an outstanding article on St. Gerard Majella, the patron saint of mothers.  I’ll let you read that article here.  I have also blogged previously about him here.

Back to my (temporarily) swelled ego:  Mom said she thought she saw a lot of St. Gerard’s spirituality in me.  There is no way I could even come close to that type of humility!  (lol)  Seriously though, I’m in somewhat of a quandary.  If I agree with her, it shows a lack of humility.  If I disagree with her, I’ll be saying that I’m not humble enough to be a saint.  What to do?  I’ve decided to admit I’m not as humble as St. Gerard is, but that I will work on it.  Fair enough?

I have a confession to make.  When I was a kid (it had to be in grammar school) I was somewhat embarrassed by my middle name.  I mean, I didn’t know anyone else with the name and everybody else had “normal” middle names like John, James, Matthew, etc….you know, like the names in the Bible. In fact at first I thought someone at the hospital had misspelled my REAL middle name, which I deduced to be “GeraLd”.  Now that’s a strong name!  I was disappointed when Mom told me that “GeraRd” was my middle name.  She told me some story about how it was a saint’s name, but I didn’t really believe her (I figured she was only trying to make me feel better).

But then the TV show The Fugitive came on the air.  The fugitive was being sought by Lieutenant Gerard!  This gave me a cool explanation for my name.  I would go around telling my full name proudly by saying, “It’s Stephen Gerard, you know—like Lieutenant Gerard!”, as though it would carry some special weight with the authority of a Lieutenant behind it!  It was a bonus for me that an antagonist in a TV show turned out to be righteous.  Kids.  Go figure.

It was not until many years later that I would take the time to research St. Gerard.  He put Lieutenant Gerard to shame in the “hero department.”   St. Gerard’s heroism was in virtue and obedience; quite a “class act”, I must say.

And, after discussing him with Mom today and reading the article I linked above, I have another confession to make.  I consider myself one of St. Gerard’s miracles! 

It’s a miracle that started long before I was born—1918, to be precise.  My grandmother had contracted some sort of plague while she was pregnant with my mother.  One day, the doctor told my grandfather and great-grandmother that Grandma (and therefore, her baby—my mom) would not last the night, and to make arrangements.  Instead, someone told Great-Grandma about a relic of a relatively new saint—Gerard—(he was canonized in 1904) that she could use along with prayers to St. Gerard for his intercession on Grandma’s behalf.  Great-Grandma took the relic to the hospital and laid it across her stomach.  The next morning, the doctor was amazed that Grandma was still alive, and in fact so much better that the prognosis was good!  Thank God for that, or I would not be here tonight, telling this story.  But that’s only Part 1; Fast Forward to Part 2, that begins in 1953.

My mom found out she was pregnant again, but she was worried.  She had had three miscarriages since her last child (Bill) and was afraid she might have another.  Grandma reminded Mom of her own “worrisome” pregnancy and the prayers to St. Gerard.  Mom prayed to him for his intercession and promised that if this pregnancy went to term, she would name the child after him. 

I’m not a kid anymore. Now I know “the rest of the story”.   And I have this irresistible urge today to say:  Hi!  My name is Stephen GERARD.  Pleased to make your acquaintance!

St. Gerard, please pray for me and my family.   Pray also for any women who are going through a difficult pregnancy now, and those who are contemplating ending a pregnancy.  Help us all find our way to Jesus Christ and the warmth of His embrace.  Amen.

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