Sep

29

777

September 29, 2008 |

A missed opportunity!

I’ve been trying to get a fallen-away Catholic I care about back to the Church.  I took a look at the Dow Jones from today and saw that it fell 777 points.  I made crack to him that if it had fallen 666 points, then we would have seen the churches packed this evening.  He replied back that he would have to be one of those rushing to have a visit.  I guess the DJ may have fallen 111 points too far!

In all seriousness, I have been rather despondent recently.  There is so much broken right now - things over which the common folk, like you and I, have so little control.  These times call for so many great leaders, yet they seem to be in such short supply.  The yearning for power and greed have replaced the requisite servant’s heart that have always been at the core of our nation’s great leaders.

So, as I look at the carnage from today, both in Washington and on Wall Street, I know who is at fault.  But does it matter?  Me sharing my thoughts on the rights and wrongs of this mess isn’t going to change the course of action that so many seem hell-bent to undertake.

But sharing my interior life may help others deal with the gross uncertainty of this current crisis.

I decided to go to confession today.  I haven’t been since early Summer and I figured it was a good time to get some stuff off of my chest.  I confessed about my lack of joy and peace, the gross anxieties permeating my soul.  I confessed about my lack of productivity and certainty in God’s plan for me.  I confessed that I was not ok with God deciding to make an example of us as he did with Israel and Judah of old, and how I believe he allows us to screw everything up from time to time if we have turned our back to his will.  I have not been a very good Christian recently.  I have not exhibited the faith and hope that should consume us despite any difficulty or burden.  St. Paul would be telling me to grow a pair.

And the priest instantly understood.  He remarked that his confessional has seen a continual stream of like-minded sentiments.  In fact, he said that he couldn’t wait for election day.

I really don’t know why, but I walked out feeling a millions time better.  I got back to the office to the news that the bailout vote had failed.  And for some reason, I felt a sense of relief; and again, I really don’t know why.  I’ve been in a mood this afternoon that is a 180 degrees different than this weekend, even though the news is worse.

Part of it is that God has blessed me with a very level-headed wife, and I’ve started to listen to her.  She is always thinking about the worst thing that can really happen to us and her “worst thing” is always a lot less worse than mine.  This evening, she walked me through her “worst things”, and her “worst things” are true to form when compared to mine.

Another part of it is that today is the Feast of the Archangels - Michael, Gabriel, Raphael.  They are with us always, helping us fight our battles and serving as messengers from God.  They have our backs on this one.  We just need to trust in them and trust in the Lord that sends them to fight by our side.

I don’t know what’s coming down the road.  But I do know that God is with us; he defends us; he wants the best for us.  We just need to believe in him and follow his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.


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