+God is Good!

I don’t have much time, but I did want to jot down some quick notes about this last week, and especially today!

I’d been having a rather lousy, lax, and loose Lent for the first three and a half weeks.  I didn’t seem to have any self-discipline at all.  So I was a little down on myself.

Then I went to see Fr. Gerald for the first time in a while.  WOW!  It was very good.  I received Reconciliation from him, and before the absolution he prayed over me extensively (in English and in tongues) for several minutes that I be strengthened against a perennial temptation of mine and that I grow in the Lord generally.

It was powerfully moving, and I found that very day that I was back in my groove.  All of a sudden I’m back to being able to get up in the morning and make it to daily Mass (THE most important thing for me to do) and praying and able to keep my Lenten commitments and all the rest.  It’s been terrific!

And it culminated today in something I have to give a little more background on.

Shortly before Lent, the People of Praise put on a "Pentecost Seminar" – a retreat of sorts designed to lead people to be baptized in the Spirit (if they aren’t already) and to commit themselves to building up the Kingdom.  It’s a very powerful presentation.  (I’d been through it myself, and I’ve helped give it twice now.)  Part of my role was to give a talk about my own experience in coming to know the Lord and in particular how I came to receive the gift of tongues.

One of the people who came was a young man (19 years old) who’s the son of a couple in the community.  I’ll call him Mark.  He’s going to be leaving home in a couple months, and was persuaded to come to the Seminar… and it hit him like the proverbial ton of bricks.  He was pretty much completely overcome.

Anyway, Mark was really intrigued by what I’d had to say, and plied me with a lot of questions about my experiences.  I ended up telling him pretty much my whole faith journey that night, and he was really fascinated.  (Pretty much all the adults he knows have been Christian, if not Catholic, all their lives.)  I asked him if he’d like to meet and talk some more, and he agreed enthusiastically.

Well, we met at a coffeeshop he frequents, and our talk was dynamite.  I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and so did he.  This time he suggested meeting once a week until he leaves.  (He’s going to live with some friends up in a bigger city.)

We just had our second meeting.  Once again, dynamite.  We were both shocked to look at our watches and realize that two hours had passed!  It didn’t feel that long at all.  Anyway, I won’t go into details, but Mark had shared with me that he’d wrestled a lot with self-loathing.  Having been around that block all too many times myself, I had been able to share some hard-earned wisdom on the subject.  But we didn’t want to get too far into that sort of thing in a public setting.

So I suggested we go for a walk and talk it over in more depth.  He was a little nervous, but agreed.  And, well, what can I say?  It sure wasn’t ME. 🙂  If I had internalized all the wisdom I spoke to him on that walk, I’d be a much holier person than I actually am. 🙂  But it was all true, nonetheless – things I do know from experience to be true, though I don’t advert to them nearly enough.

Basically, I told him that God was crazily in love with him.  Pleased with him.  Proud of him.  He’d told me he didn’t see anything he had to offer others… this in the same breath as saying that he really felt called to listen to other people’s problems and help them and show them the Lord.  I said, "You think GOD isn’t proud of you for that?  Heck, I’M proud of you!!" and I hugged him.

He was profoundly moved.  (So was I.)  And he was just expressing to me how strange but liberating it felt to realize that God really did love and accept him – was thrilled with him – when this total stranger walked by and told him, "Hey, you’re doin’ great!"  (Or words to that effect, I didn’t fully make out what he said.)  He walked on while Mark and I stared at each other and made some comment about how strange it was.  The guy turned around, "I’m not sayin’ anything bad, I’m just complimenting you!"

Well, that was weird, I thought.  But Mark started crying.  "God just gave me a sign!"  After a moment’s thought, I realized he was exactly right!  Isn’t life an adventure for Christians?! 🙂  I told him that, and that I was excited for him.

"What do I owe you for all this?"  he asked me.  I was near-outraged by this and told him it was a gift, just like life.  But that I would like to be his friend.  We agreed on that.

I announced I was going to take him out to dinner to celebrate his recent growth in the Lord.  At first he resisted – more of that self-loathing thing – but then he got into the spirit of things and agreed.  That’s where I’m heading right after I finish this!  (He had some other things to get done.)  After that, we’re going to the parish retreat.  (Which started yesterday, and is awesome, but I don’t have time to write about it just now.)

God is so good!  This is just a wonderful start to my week – maybe my year. 🙂  It’s awe-inspiring when he confirms a word of yours so emphatically.  And I’m so happy for Mark!

Thank you so much, Beloved!