God is always intentional, never by chance.
This morning I attended our Newcomer Welcome Breakfast at the parish, representing the ministries I’m in charge of and also being a voice for the youth ministry because their minister’s could not attend. The purpose of the welcome breakfast (and sometimes we have dinners) is to give those who are new to the parish a specific time to meet others that might be new and also to have a chance to hear about the many ministries in the parish and ask us questions. Most importantly on our end (the staff and ministry leaders) is to make them feel welcome. I’ll put myself out on a limb here and be honest when I say I was (and still am) extremely exhausted this morning and didn’t really want to do small talk. But I never get the chance to make the dinners so I knew it was important for me to make this one event.
When I arrived there was hardly anyone in the Family Life Center because the 9am Mass had not yet let out. There was one man sitting in the back, a cane leaned against the table, the tip of his peppered beard reached the middle of his belly as the rest of his hair fell in curls around his shoulders. He had on a man’s traveling hat (the kind my Papa used to wear, black leather that snaps down in the front) and a black leather vest to match. In front of him was a Stewardship Ministry guide so I knew he was a newcomer. I hesitated looking at all of the empty tables thinking only for a brief moment, “Should I sit at an empty table in case a young family comes in…one that I could relate to more?” But the thought came and went because I also knew how rude it would be to sit down on my own when I clearly was not a newcomer (my kids came too to help set up and serve) plus I also knew how it was to be new to a large parish and honestly, on first impression he wasn’t your ‘typical’ Kingwood resident. 🙂
I moved to the back, introduced myself and sat down next to him at the table. And in the 15 minutes to follow I found out that he was from Omaha, Nebraska, had been in the Air Force, lost his wife (at the young age of 50) four years before, had family close by and was still struggling with the loss and the loneliness. He is already a member of the Knights of Columbus and he chose St. Martha’s out of the other parishes in the area because we have perpetual adoration. He was a very pleasant man and somehow in that conversation his ‘santa claus’ beard was brought up and he was telling me how he’s been asked to be a ‘real beard’ Santa (they get paid more, you know? 🙂 ). When we spoke I looked into his eyes and beyond the dull pain I could see a gentle and warm soul. Just before we were served he pulled out three rosaries his wife had made, which went along with their story of conversion to the Catholic Faith (for he had been Baptist and then Apiscapalian up to 1998). A relative of his wife had given her the rosary when they were discontent with their present church. He said, “When you receive a rosary, well it’s very hard not to be drawn to the faith.” Once they became Catholics his wife began to make rosaries for others.
It was a gift to sit with him and be privy to a small part of his story and to welcome him as my brother in faith to our parish family. When I came home I sat down to do my reflections. In My Daily Bread the reflection section it states, “Jesus wants me to treat everyone kindly, patiently, and unselfishly for His sake. He wants me to see not them, but Him.”
And in our Advent Reflection from the Adore resource Theotokos, “Today, be ‘where you are at.’ Focus on people. Focus on presence. Focus on God’s presence.”
I read these when I got home. You see God is always intentional.
And then today’s Advent reflection from Pope Benedict XVI:
December 5, 2010
Second Sunday of Advent
Readings: Is 11:1-10; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
Is 11:5-6
Advent is particularly suited to being a season lived in communion
with all those who—and thanks be to God they
are numerous—hope for a more just and a more fraternal world.
In this commitment to justice, people of every nationality and
culture, believers and non-believers, can to a certain extent
meet. Indeed, they are all inspired by a common desire, even if
their motivations are different, for a future of justice and peace.
Homily in Celebration of the First Vespers
of the First Sunday of Advent, December 2, 2006
How Glorious is He?!
Blessings
Shannon