Angel's Light

"Send your light and your fidelity, that they may be my guide;" Psalm 43:3b.

A priest walked into his church on a cold wintery night and sat down quietly in one of the pews, pondering his future as a priest. Daniel had wanted to be a priest since childhood. He always excelled in religion in school, went to all the right schools for his training, and anticipated writing books of faith. Perhaps he would become famous even in the secular world by enlightening the world with newfound theories. 

Daniel sat looking around the dimly lit church with shadows of statutes here and there, feeling a bit eerie as has never been alone in the church before. The walls were stone, grey in color, and cold -  perhaps like his heart as he questioned his faith more and more. Did he really believe the stories in the Bible? Did he really believe Jesus rose from the dead? Stories centuries old; could they have been written by persecuted mad men in times of peril? Why did so many saints give up their lives to profess the faith? Why did Ignatius of Antioch give up his life kneeling, praying with hands clasped together toward heaven while two she lions ran across the stadium towards him to brutally tear him apart?

Was Daniel's life spent in the church worth it? After all, what had been gained by working hard at his homilies for people every Sunday, many of whom he caught yawning. And those people after Mass, coming up to him to talk about nonsensical things, worrying about every little thing, thinking about their jobs, their neighbors. Confessions he heard were mostly about sex and money.

Suddenly, Daniel was startled by the rumblings of the radiators which lay beside the walls of the church. The pews in the back under the balcony light creaked, and he now thought that perhaps he was being haunted. Daniel pulled out his rosary, made of black onyx, beads 8mm each in diameter with gold color links (an unusual combination), with the Miraculous Medal at its center and an Eastern European Crucifix. The entire rosary was 24 inches long, made to Daniel's specification and blessed by a Cardinal.

He began to say the rosary when he heard footsteps behind him. He started to turn to see who it was when he heard a man's voice from behind say to him, "Don't turn around." He heard the stranger take a seat directly behind him.

The stranger spoke, "I just want to sit here for a few minutes. I am here for a confession, so I don't want you to see me."

Daniel didn't know what to expect, perhaps the stranger had committed a terrible crime he wished to confess. Perhaps he was dangerous, carrying a weapon of some sort. Daniel feared for his safety at first, but sat patiently waiting for the stranger to speak.

Daniel wanted to turn around, but the voice said not to.

Daniel asked, "Do you want me to hear your confession?"

The voice said, " No, I am here for your confession. You have doubts about your faith. You have doubts about the stories in the Bible. I am here to tell you that God loves you. He sent His Son to cleanse the world. Don't disbelieve, but believe. God created you for a reason. Don't listen to the lies of the evil one. The evil one wants to discourage you, to harden your heart, to drive you down a path of perdition. The evil one hates human kind, and will lie to you.

You don't know why God created you, but God has a plan for you, a destiny for you.

When Jesus fed the crowds, the Apostles told Jesus they did not have provisions for them, send them to the surrounding towns to buy food. Jesus told the Apostles to feed them themselves.
This was an example of the test of faith.

When David approached the giant, it was a test of faith. When Abraham tied up his son, and about to slaughter him, but was stopped by an Angel, it was a test of faith. When Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, and sold into slavery, placed in prison, it was a test of faith. David, Abraham, and Joseph could have been discouraged and given up, but they didn't. They still believed. You have no idea what your prayers do, as they ascend to God in a beautiful fragrance. You must have faith.

The evil one wants to discourage you, and will lie to you. The people who come to this church to pray need to know that God loves them. Your message to them is that there are times of famine, sickness, loss of jobs, death of loved ones. But these are times when we need to increase our faith, glorify God, not to give up. There is darkness before the light. And the light will come, beautifully if you have faith the size of a mustard seed. Don't let the evil one invade your destiny, he will lie to you to keep you from fulfilling what God has in store for you. The evil one will try to depress you, to drive you to suicide, so that you will give up. When David spoke to Saul about the giant, God gave David the grace to defeat the giant. David said, 'The Lord, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine.' Abraham was given grace in abundance for his faith. Joseph became second in command. The light will take away the dark. You can start a blessing for yourself, and your congregation that can spread through their descendants. God has something special for you. And now Daniel, say a good Act of Contrition."

With that, Daniel heard what he thought to be wings flapping upward. He turned around and saw nothing except the light at the balcony of the church.

1Sm 17: 32-33
Quotes from the New American Bible, St. Joseph Edition