Every year as we face the rush of the coming holidays and the end of the calendar year and the end of the Church’s liturgical year, I find myself asking, ‘Where has the time gone? I can’t believe it’s almost…..’ Immediately following those thoughts, I am blessed by the Holy Spirit to begin to think of all the things I have experienced or received this year for which I am grateful to God.A few years ago in a Sunday homily, I told the story of a poor elderly woman who resided in a modest apartment building. She was a very devout woman, daily going to Mass and frequently praying aloud in her apartment throughout the rest of the day and night thanking God for all her blessings. This prayerful soul didn’t have much income and would frequently run short of food near the end of each month. Her next-door neighbor was a young man who was not a believer and was in fact opposed to religion. The apartment walls were thin, and he frequently became annoyed as he heard his neighbor praying. One night he heard her asking God to supply her enough food until her next check came and she ended her supplication thanking God for taking care of it. He decided he would shatter her faith, so while she was away the next day, he went to a local market and bought a great amount of food. He came home, placed the bags of food outside her apartment door and listened for her return. When the dear lady came home, she immediately and loudly started thanking God and praising the Lord for answering her prayers. The young man bounded out of his apartment and with vitriol, told her God hadn’t given her that food, he had, so what do you think of your God now? With a gracious smile on her face, she looked heavenward and began to praise and thank God for even using a devil to answer her prayers!
Sisters and brothers, all of us, owe God some measure of gratitude for the blessings and challenges the Lord sees us through. We here at Resurrection Catholic Missions praise and thank God daily for using ANGELS like you to answer our prayers. We continue as this year draws to a close to provide healthy and wholesome food to families and individuals who like the woman in the story run short some months. We have hosted several college and service groups as they volunteer in our school and visit the abundance of civil rights and justice sites in our area. We preach the good news and celebrate the sacraments offering our praise and thanks to the Lord Jesus too. All of this and so much more depends on the prayers and the gifts you send.
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, know how grateful we are, even as we ask you once again to help us to help those who depend on us. Your gifts, great and small and your prayers are so critical to all our work. May I count on you again? I will always thank God for answering our prayers through you!
Happy Thanksgiving! God bless you!
Father Manuel Williams, C.R.
Mission Director