Listen to God's voice at the foot of the crucifix." ~St. Gaspar del Bufaro~

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

A Test Of Faith

I was listening to some ladies talk as I was waiting for 2 of my children at their music lesson.
I overheard one of the ladies telling the other that she was Catholic..."but not a very strong Catholic,"she went on to say.  She continued to share that the only reason she went to church was for her kids to get "the Communion thing."
My heart just sank and my spirit felt the blow.  Mostly, I felt sad for that lady that she didn't know Who she was talking about as she casually tossed about "the Communion thing." The image of Jesus carrying His Cross flashed throught my mind, if you know what I mean. 
What should I do?
Would quietly sitting there, (saying nothing) be minding my own business or would it be denying Our Lord like St. Peter?
The questions raced through my mind.
This was a test of faith...For me.
I was raised in the 60's and 70's when faith was a private matter and we didn't openly talk about Jesus or what we believed.  Evangeliztion was a new term for me as a re-vert to the faith in my early thirties.
Hmmm, what to do?  I sat there and prayed. Feeling my heart begin to race, I just started rambling out prayer, calling on everyone I knew!:)
Jesus on this feast of the Holy Cross, show me what to do; Holy Spirit, be with me ; Mother Mary, please help me!
Then suddenly, for some reason this quote popped into my mind...Don't ask me from where?
"The only sure way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."~Edmund Burke~
It was time to go.
"Lo and behold" the Catholic lady was walking out to her car the same time as we were...Of course!
And so my heart spoke something like this...
"You know, I happened to over-hear you talking about being Catholic. Well, I'm Catholic too and I just wanted to tell you that you won't be disappointed if you deepen your faith. Everything about our faith is so beautiful and it will fill your spirit beyond belief.  We are so blessed to have the Sacraments that provide the fullness of Our Faith, to include Jesus in the Eucharist...And most importantly, it's the truth."
She just looked at me for a minute, with her mouth hanging open for a minute....Then she went on to tell me of a minor incident that had upset her and was keeping her from the church out of anger and resentment.  I told her I was sorry...Sorry that she had been hurt by members of our church family.  I too, have been hurt by members of the church, so we could relate.  We went on to talk about the fact that all churches are made of people who are all human, all sinners.  This is why we need Jesus...And His Cross to save us.  She agreed.
I apologized again that she had been hurt and I promised to pray for her, once again reminding her that she won't be disappointed if she deepened her faith. 
She thanked me for saying something and we parted ways.
My heart continued to race as I sat in the car for a minute to catch my breath...I was sweating and the children just sat there in silence and looked at me.  (They had heard parts of the conversation) 
"We need to stand up for Jesus, kids...will we fail or pass the test?"
I felt like a little child myself.
It may or may not have made a difference to the other lady but one thing is certain...
It was a real test of faith...For me.




7 comments:

  1. Tiffany, thanks for this post!! I could feel my own heart starting to beat faster and the adrenelin rush as I read your story. I was cheering you on!! God has blessed you for opening your heart, and the words just came flowing out(thank goodness for the Holy Spirit, huh?). and, oh that your children were there and learned from it is another glory for God :)

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  2. Me too! My heart was pumping really hard but I am so proud of you, you did a wonderful thing for that woman. God Bless You!

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  3. Tiffany, you are perfect!!! Everything you said was spot on! I am so proud of you and so proud to be your fellow Catholic! We are always tested, I think, in so many little ways each day. How easy it is to say or do too little or nothing at all. You did very well today my friend! Happy Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross! I am sure that with your loving remarks to that woman you helped to ease His pain considerably! Thank you so much!

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  4. OH, my gosh, I got goosebumps reading this. I would have only said prayers for this woman. Now this woman has a seed planted. She surely knows what the Sacraments are and even if she looks into them, it will help. Your witness and joy will stick with her for a long time. She will yearn for that. She will yearn and search. Now we all have to pray for her to be led in the right direction.

    God bless you, How wonderful, it is just what she needed to hear, as it came straight from the Holy Spirit, through you, to her!

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  5. Good for you! You can be proud that Christ Jesus gave you courage today to carry the cross and evangelize Him! I once heard Fr. Corapi (God help him) say of those who claim a bad experience is keeping them away "there are bad doctors out there, but that doesn't keep you away from doctors when you need one." You don't throw the baby out with the bath water. A bad experience is just an excuse and those who claim it need to be challenged with the Truth!

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  6. God Bless you!! How many times I have kept my mouth shut when I could have opened it! If done charitably there will be no harm even if it does not make a difference- but a missed opportunity can't be retrieved. So glad you took that leap of faith.

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  7. You had great courage. I do not always find the courage in moments like that but I know Christ and the multitude of angels were guiding you along the way.

    If anything, you did plant seeds!

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