Let Your Light Shine And God'S Love Will Shine Through!

Hello Out There! I want to share something that happened at the Sack Lunch Ministry at our parish on Wednesday. A young man showed up about 25 minutes before we started handing out lunches. We had never seen him before. He sat in the cafeteria with his head down while he was waiting. I had picked up some lunch meat earlier that morning and delivered it and then stayed to help put everything in the sacks. It wasn’t my day to work, but the other volunteers had not shown up yet, and I wanted to help Miss Rose. That is what I call her, her name is Rosa and she is like a grandmother to all of us!

One of the other volunteers arrived and everything was ready, so I told them that I had plans and was leaving. I said goodbye and walked out, I decided that I better grab a water, so I ran back in and walked by the young man and hollered out something to the ladies in the kitchen. He misunderstood what I said and became defensive.

I immediately walked over to him and sat down next to him. I told him that he misunderstood what I said, and then I asked him what his name was. He told me his name and then I told him mine and reached out my hand to shake his. We talked for about 10 minutes. He wasn't from here and the lost look in his eyes broke my heart. I told him about some different places he could go to. I gave him his lunch and asked him to go out to the courtyard and wait for someone to come and talk to him and he could eat his lunch while he was waiting. I would send someone to visit with him who might have more information than I did to help him.

I went out the back door and climbed into my truck and said a quick prayer, it went something like this: Ok Lord, how am I supposed to help this young man? Lord, there are so many people in pain, how do we help them? Amen. I called one of the Deacons and asked if he would stop by the courtyard on his way to the noon Mass, he said that he would. I drove around the block and pulled into a parking space in front of the courtyard. I got some money out of my purse and walked into to the courtyard. The young man was sitting on a bench eating his sandwich, I sat down next to him. His right hand was bruised and he was having trouble opening his water bottle. He looked at me and kind of smiled and handed the water to me. I opened the bottle for him and told him if he would just wait for a little while that someone would be by to talk to him. I handed him the money and told him that it should be enough to get some dinner later on. I stood up to leave and he stood up also, he gave me a hug and thanked me. He told me that he was sorry he had gotten upset earlier, and I told him that I was sorry I hadn't just sat down to talk to him in the first place. I don't know what happened after I left, I hope he is ok.

I prayed for him and all those who are like him with nowhere to go. I told my husband last night that I felt like we are living in a time where the whole world is like a field hospital. Some people just need a hug or a smile, and it is easy to fix them right up. Others need so much more. I told Jim that I feel like we just walk around with band aids trying to make it all better and sometimes the band aids aren’t enough, they need major surgery. I just feel like what I do is so inadequate sometimes. I pray that God will always guide me to know what to do, to know how to help.

That is the post I wrote for my blog yesterday morning. After I finished writing, I went into the kitchen to fix lunch for my husband so that I could take it to where he was working. My mind kept going back to that young man and to so many others that I have met at the Sack Lunch Ministry. I just wanted to cry, my heart felt so heavy. I started praying as I packed up Jim’s lunch, and loaded everything into my truck. By the time I reached Jim I had realized something, it was like a light had turned on. I couldn’t wait to share it with him. Jim climbed into the passenger side of the truck and I said, "I figured it out! I know what God is telling us!" Jim had that look on his face that said, oh my gosh, what has she gotten us into now?

I told him about my blog post, and how I wanted to cry and how my heart hurt. I told him how I prayed and asked God what were we supposed to do because we can only do so much. And then it hit me, like a ton of bricks, because I’m hard headed and that is usually the only way God can get through to me. I felt like God was saying, yes, y’all are working in the field hospital, providing food, hugs, smiles and kind words. Sometimes you provide clothing and information, and sometimes money. The bandages that you provide are needed, and then you pray and I (God) will take care of the operations.

I realized that God just wants us to be faithful, to do what we are able, and most importantly to do something. I think about all the darkness in this world, and if I am a light, and you are a light and if others will be a light, just think about how God’s love will shine in us and through us!

There is a song we sing in Mass called, "We Are Many Parts" and it is one of my favorite songs. The refrain goes like this: We are many parts, we are all one body, and the gifts we have we are given to share. May the Spirit of love make us one indeed; one, the love that we share, one, our hope in despair, one the cross that we bear.

My plan for today is to go out let my little light shine! Blessings to you and yours!