And I blinked back a few tears this morning...
I stepped into St. Gianna's parish around 7:30 this morning. It had been three weeks since my last confession, and I was looking forward to getting things set right with God. The morning Mass would come after that.
This Friday morning double dip in Sacramental grace has become a beautiful and welcome experience.
As I opened the door and reached to slip my fingers in the holy water font, I saw Fr. Elliott standing in the front--
to the right of the Altar,
tall...stately looking,
his head slightly bent to one side, chin tilted upward,
as he studied the face of St. Joseph.
I wanted to smile because it was obvious that he wasn't doing what I had once believed Catholics to do.He wasn't worshiping dear Joseph.
Oh, no. He was looking at him and thinking and in a meditation so deep that at first he did not realize that I was standing at the back of the church.
My eyes misted a bit because it was a powerful witness. Even this very holy priest goes to the holy ones to get direction on how to live out his vocation.
I wonder what the foster father to Our Lord inspired him to do or think or pray. What did Jesus' earthly father teach Father Elliott in those few moments before he walked into the confessional and fathered me?
St. Joseph, I love you. I love that you inspire dads and holy priests.
And I love moments like this, when I am given the great privilege of seeing the Catholic Church in all her beauty . . . in all her meekness . . . in simple holiness.
What a beautiful image! Thanks for sharing. Sometimes when I go to confession, my pastor is sitting there praying the Rosary. I love that, too. A Son who spends time with his Mother.
ReplyDeleteLove the "double dip in sacramental grace". Haven't heard it put quite that way, but it is a powerful thing!