Today has been one of those days when I’ve been filled with an incredible sense of God’s Presence. Though it’s been a long, pretty tiring week, I decided after my mom and our dear brother in Christ, John, both said they were going to Saturday Mass and to pray at the clinic that I would get up early this morning, though, it was terribly tempting to sleep in. Before heading to work, my husband asked me if we could help someone he knows who is going through a difficult time. I agreed to his plan of action, but it wasn’t until I was at Mass at St. Benedict’s while Kevin was working his Saturday shift that I was overcome with an even deeper sense of love and gratitude for my husband, who has often been extremely good about living out the Gospel through being compassionate, caring, and taking action when he sees someone in need. We often have different approaches to prayer, faith, and spirituality, but I was given the grace to see how beautiful it is when we unite our gifts in order to glorify the Lord and bring others closer to Him.
The Scripture readings for today from Acts 6:1-7; Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19; John 6: 16-21 all spoke to the importance of reaching out to others in charity. We are not meant to be judges of others’ spiritual worth, actions, progress, etc. We are meant to be instruments of love and healing. God’s grace working through my inclination to do this first through prayer and personal formation, Mass, and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament combined with Kevin’s proclivity for providing tangible help and support can be a powerful package for building up His Kingdom. It’s always nice to be reminded of the many ways this is the case.
At Mass this morning, there were a number of people who have been involved in 40 Days for Life and various other pro-life activities. I sat with two people who prayed at the vigil every day during the campaign. Those around us had put in many hours as well. After Mass, we walked down to the abortion clinic where the Spring 40 Days for Life was held to join a group who’s met there the first and third Saturday mornings of every month to pray a pro-life Rosary. We pray the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries, sing hymns, and stand as a prayerful peaceful presence outside of the abortion clinic. As other times when I’ve joined this group, it was a powerful experience, definitely transforming me from the inside out to grow closer to the Lord.
After praying, my mom, John, and I went out for breakfast at a place nearby called the Sidewalk Café that has scrumptious French toast. My mom shared about how God spoke to her during her recent trip to Disney World. We discussed some of our visions and ideas for the ministries in which we’re involved and what we feel God may be calling us to do next. On the ride back, John made mention of how effective calling people to remind them of the Respect Life meetings at church and invite them to be involved in 40 Days for Life has been. My mom said she’s really seen a difference when calls are made and would appreciate having people step up to do that. I immediately thought of my dad and the many phone calls he made to invite people to pray at the vigil. While sick and homebound, he found it very fulfilling and a blessing to be able to do something in addition to prayer to help promote 40 Days for Life.
Lord thank You for all of the people and abundance of blessings in my life. I know that all that is good, loving, holy, peaceful, true, kind, compassionate, selfless…is in the world because of You.
God, because of You, I have life, faith, love, and a profound thirst for You. Nana and Grandma, because of you, I have faith, a strong prayer life, a desire to serve others and to glorify the Lord.
Mom and Dad, because of you, I have life, faith, love, a strong sense of wanting to serve others, and a most fervent longing to do the Lord’s Will.
Kevin, because of you, I have grown in faith, love, hope, charity, trust…and many more areas and in many more ways than I could possibly imagine.
Mary and Theresa, because of you, I want to be a better person, a better sister, a better friend.
