DailyConnections.net

FRIDAY THOUGHT 11/21/08

“No Big Deal, Pop”
 
That’s what my daughter, Angie, told me so I wouldn’t feel obligated to drive the 175 miles this coming weekend as she and her husband are to be “introduced” (the correct word eludes me this morning) as catechumens preparing to join the Catholic Church.  As I understand it, she will be confirmed and he baptized during Holy Week this coming spring.  No big deal, my foot!   I’ll be there, grinning like a fool.  It isn’t every day you get to sit back and savor such a joyous miracle.     
 
Coincidentally (or maybe not), two other friends — one in Tampa, Florida, and another in Madison, Wisconsin, are also participating in the identical Catholic inquiry class.  (For those who don’t know, I was raised Catholic and am now Episcopalian.)  None of these four seemed like likely candidates  for faith transformations.  But then again, St. Peter (my clay-footed favorite saint) didn’t seem like much, either.  Oh, and then there’s myself — the most unlikely of men to ever declare, “Yes, I am a man of faith.  Got a problem with that?”
 
My point?  Partially, it’s that we should never stop praying for those we love; never forget that there is a God and, yes, He does answer prayers.  There is no such thing as a lost cause.  But, I confess, I’m also flat-out bragging here.  I am so proud and joyful and big-grin delighted for these four people — my two family members and two faith-seeking friends — who have been blessed with the seeds of belief and understanding.  Maybe it’s no big deal for God, but it’s a button-popping big deal for me!  Rejoice with me! — jri
 
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find; knock and the door will
be opened to you.  For everyone who asks
receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who
knocks, the door will be opened.”
    –    Jesus Christ
           (Luke 11:9-10)
 
Please keep my daughter, Angie, her husband, Aaron, and all who seek the truth, in your prayers this weekend.
John R. Ingrisano
john@DailyConnections.net