Why I Trust in You

He goes before them, and the sheep
follow Him, for they know His voice.
-- Jn 10:4

Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him:
“Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you
have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”  Jesus said
to her: “Mary.”  She turned and said to Him
in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (Teacher)
-- Jn 20:15-16

As today’s gospel noted, Mary knew His voice.  I wonder how often He calls to me, but I am so distracted with my important worries that I think it is just the gardener?

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I received a note yesterday that a friend’s baby was born into eternal life late Holy Saturday night.  She and her family are people of great faith.  The “older” sister said of her short-lived sibling: “Esther was just in time to join Jesus as He entered the heavenly party for Easter.”  And the sad announcement continued: “As (the parents) continue to grieve the loss of their child, they sincerely ask for your prayers.  Prayers for continued courage and strength, healing for all wounds, and trustful surrender to the will of God.  They rely upon the great blessing bestowed upon the family that prays together, and invite you to be a part of this blessing. In particular, they ask for us to join them in saying the Humility Prayer, Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet which are devotions held dear to their family.  We truly are one Body of Christ, especially in times like these.”  

These are people who hear His voice and Trust in Him, at all times.

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As yesterday’s noontime mass came to a close, the priest gave the final blessing, stepped down from the altar, genuflected and turned.  And then, as now happens every Tuesday, the children came walking up the aisle to receive blessings and prayers from the priest and deacons.  Parents holding their new babies, very small children, and now I notice even a couple of teens, quietly line up.  The lines seem to be getting longer with each passing week.  And when their turn comes, each child bows in silence to receive God’s blessing.

This Tuesday, a very young boy stopped in the aisle right next to me.  He quietly bounced from one foot to the other, watching the events, nervous.  I heard his mother whisper to him: “It’s okay.  You can go up.”  Obviously, this was new to him.  Despite her urgings, he continued his nervous vigil as the lines shrunk.  Finally, the last father and his baby received their blessings and turned away, and then the priest could see the young boy standing alone in the center aisle --- as could the entire church.

The priest nodded to him, but the boy didn’t move.  Then Father Joseph went down on one knee, smiled widely and opened wide his arms --- and the young angel rushed down the aisle into the waiting hug.  The priest stood and, holding him in his arms, slowly blessed the boy, and then walked down the aisle carrying him, stopping only to transfer him into the waiting arms of his mother.

The open arms of the priest, the smile; the small running feet, the knowing that the waiting hug was meant for him --- that was a trust event that was beautiful to behold. 

That is the trust God wishes we all would have in Him, for He waits with open arms.

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This morning my barber came and knelt in the church aisle next to me before the mass began.  Quietly he told me about HIS yesterday. 

He had written to the head of the religious order he wishes to join to tell him that it appears that another year must pass; he still is unable to free his business from debt so that he can freely enter the order.  In his note he said he asked the rector if he could spend this weekend at the order’s church, to spend time in retreat to discern God’s will about his vocation.  “Then,” he said, “I felt a great peace like I’ve never felt before, and I just couldn’t stop crying.  I’ve never felt so loved as at that moment.”  And then later on that afternoon “a stranger from the parish, somehow knowing of my situation, came to me in my barber shop and said he’d buy my business so that I could enter the religious order.”

“I am so blessed,” he said, as tears ran down his face.

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One young soul goes home to God, another receives a loving embrace, and another He calls to work for Him here on earth.  The world around us is covered in so much evil.  So much of the world celebrates it, and our own country even proudly exports it.  Martyrs are everywhere.  Surely all this must make God sad, if not angry.  And yet, in the midst of all this, there are blessings; there are good people; and there is God’s mercy.

And me also He blesses, giving me some small consolations by making me aware of His actions in this world.  Events of these past days show me so clearly how much God loves us.  Can’t you see it?  Can’t you feel it?

It is why I can most sincerely say:  “I trust in You.”