Do Not Waste Time

“Do not lose any time. Do good, do all the good you can, and you will never regret doing it.” Don Bosco

Recently we had a huge snowstorm where I live. I got up early at 5 a.m. to shovel my way out. It was still dark and the quietude of the blanket of snow was surreal. Just one person was walking their dog and maybe one adventurous driver passed by and waved. I was working my way through centimetres of snow when a pickup truck with a plow attached to the front drove by. I waved him down and he stopped. I offered to pay him money to clear the end of my driveway. He said not to worry about money, cleared the snow and drove off. I told him, kindness comes back to you a hundredfold. He replied that he hoped it would. It always does I reassured him. That was the end of the encounter and who knows what might transpire from there. Recently, I was talking to two people who were not Catholics. I happened to mention that I go to mass regularly. They wondered why and then asked if they could come. I simply answered, the door is open to everyone. Who knows what might transpire from these two brief interchanges of conversation. We leave it in God’s hands.

“Holiness consists of simply in doing God’s will and being just what God wants us to be.” St. Therese of Lisieux

Many saints lived exemplary lives, but they also needed to persevere in their struggle for holiness. Circumstances allowed me to speak to my friends in the Carmelite Monastery during the storm that we had had. One of the sisters recounted the story of Ste.Therese and Henri Pranzini the criminal.  Pranzini had murdered three people and was preparing to be executed. He mounted the scaffold without confessing or receiving absolution. He insisted he was innocent. Ste. Therese had been praying for him. Before he died, he turned around, seized the crucifix which the priest was offering to him, and kissed the wounds of Christ three times.  Ste. Therese had asked for a sign. She had heard about the incident, and she got her sign. Prayers are answered but we must trust in God because sometimes they are not answered the way we want.

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” Mother Teresa

We cannot measure our lives. Our minds are so finite; only God is Infinite. We have no idea whose life we can touch through Christ. Sometimes, my neighbours wonder where I go in the morning so early before work. I simply say I am going to mass. They are surprised and only once did someone ask to come with me. God knows the reasons. Recently, someone recounted that they were taking many things more seriously in their life for many reasons. They were much happier. It was a sentence I did not expect to hear but it was amazing to hear it. We need to be present for others and in front of our Lord. He does everything else.

“God always wins. If you are His instrument, you too will win, because you will fight God’s battles.” St. Josemaria Escriva

“Let us carry our crosses with love; Let us see that they do not become a burden to others but let us help others carry theirs.” St. John Bosco