A Date With Jesus
If someone told me a year and a half ago how my Spiritual life would become so deeply rooted in Our Lord, I would have found it very hard to believe. As a wife and mother of two wonderful children, I found myself extremely busy throughout each day. Most of my day was filled with the world, not the Lord. I would try to fit in a Rosary or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, but if I didn't the Lord would forgive me. I grew to learn that it was myself I needed to ask for forgiveness from. I was only hurting myself by not finding time to pray. I soon began to squeeze in a half hour in the morning, to attend 7:45 a.m. daily Mass. I sat in the back pew by myself. After Mass I began to notice a group of people praying together, but that was something I didn't have time for. The “world” was waiting for me. One day I began to speak to the group of people who would pray after Mass. But only for a couple of minutes; the “world” was waiting for me. As nice as they seemed to be, I wasn't going to become one of them. A year and a half ago the Lord blessed me by placing Father Charles in my life. He has helped me realize, that the Lord had more to offer me than the world ever could. I would read in the bulletin about the upcoming missions, but I wouldn't attend. That wasn't for me...it was not in my comfort zone. Then I received a message from Father Charles informing me about an upcoming Bible Study, and he asked me to be a facilitator. I was relieved that I missed his call, it gave me time to panic. I didn't want to go; I didn't even know what a facilitator was. One thing I did know was that I would never say no to him, so I said yes. This spring will be the third Bible Study I have attended. A while later I received another call from Father Charles, asking me if I would contact the Missionaries of the Most Holy Eucharist to arrange for them to speak at our Parish about Adoration. Since I knew I would never say no to him, I suppressed my anxiety and said yes. As soon as I hung up, my anxiety increased when I realized I hadn't written anything down. No names, phone numbers, nothing. I grabbed a pen and paper, and said, “Lord help me, please.” And He did. He hasn't stopped since. Working with Father Declan and learning more about Adoration was life changing. The few times I attended Adoration, I mostly complained about how far I had to drive to get to the Church. I enjoyed the prayers and the music, but I never felt Jesus. Probably because I sat there thinking about the traffic there would be on the way home. Over 300 people signed up for Adoration at our parish. So many people wanted a date with Jesus. Once again I asked the Lord to help me, for “I knew not what I was doing.” Father Charles sensed that I was overwhelmed, so he worked with me on the Adoration documents. He was also with me scrubbing the Chapel floor. Father Charles and the wonderful group of people from Daily Mass are now my second family. They helped me with every aspect of Adoration preparation. I call them the Angels of the Divine Mercy Chapel. We are so Blessed to have our beautiful Chapel back, the Lord has told me He feels welcome here again! I’m sitting here in the Chapel with tears of joy and gratitude in my eyes as I write this. One of the Angels just handed me a box of tissues to wipe my tears. How Blessed am I? I now know that one date with Jesus brings me more joy than the world could give me in a lifetime. I am so grateful to Father Charles for giving us back the Chapel, taking me out of my comfort zone, and for helping me get through the death of 4 Aunts, my Mother-in- Law and my Mom. Whenever I thank Father, he always replies “It's not me, it's the Lord.” I am his instrument. Jesus has worked through him to help me to become wide open to Our Lord. Jesus is now using me as an instrument for our Adorers, as He calls them each to a one-on-one date with Him. No matter how many people are in the Chapel with you, Jesus always makes you feel special and loved. I'm ready Lord for wherever you lead me next, because: “Jesus I Trust In You.”
