Container Grown

Praised be Jesus Christ! And greetings to you after a long cold spell here at Container Grown. I had to prioritize other things this summer that took me away from writing, but this new semester the seminary jogs my memory and prompts me to write. Although my online communication has been scant, I’m grateful that I was able to see so many of you over the summer to connect in person. Far better than connecting over a blog post, I’d say.

Still, there’s much to share. Too much to share in one post. One thing at a time.

My last post was in the spring, with Holy Week fast approaching and finals soon to follow (no wonder I fell off the map). Those last weeks of the semester constituted one of the most spiritually rich seasons in my life, and it began when I decided to pray to Mother Teresa, allowing her to play a more active role in my life. Years ago, I met a deeply prayerful man who recommended that I start praying to her. I resisted allowing her into my prayer life, however; Mother Teresa is one intimidating woman! Intimidating in the way all good mothers are, who are singularly devoted to the welfare of their children. And God help whoever gets in mom’s way! I spend a lot of time and energy getting in my own way, so I figured that Mother Teresa would have more tough love for me than anything else. You can understand my resistance.

At the encouragement of a spiritual mentor here at the seminary, I overcame my fear and allowed Mother Teresa to draw closer to me and show me who she is. And what a vibrant and beautiful season that began! She did not disappoint! As our spiritual friendship began, so many incredible things started to happen around me and within me. I felt as if my heart had been renovated, as if Mother Teresa came to visit me with a bunch of priestly graces and, through my volunteer work with the Missionaries of Charity, taught me how to use them. Most wonderfully of all, I believe her intercession played a significant role in the miraculous healing of someone whose grave illness led him to death’s door last spring. He made a complete recovery on the 20th anniversary of John Paul II’s death.

That miracle continues to impact my relationship with the Lord. In my Scripture courses at the seminary, one of the things we learn is that the healing miracles of Jesus are not really about fixing legs or curing disease. The miracles have as their primary purpose the revelation of God’s love and God’s power. The miracles show us who God is. They reveal His heart, that God is gracious and He loves mankind! This miracle, achieved in part by the pleading of Mother Teresa, I believe, had the same effect on me. It showed, in a deeper way, who God is.

I have never been at death’s door. But I do experience sufferings and encounter obstacles that I wish the Lord would take from me. After witnessing this miracle, I have become more at peace with the thought of those sufferings and obstacles remaining in place should God choose to leave them there. If God can save a boy from death, then I know that God can save me from my my problems, too, big or small. That He chooses not to do so is in no way indicative of God’s lack of love for me – God loves me and that young man who was saved with the same love. Rather, God’s decision to leave some obstacles in place indicates that they somehow serve a purpose in his loving plan for my life, just as that miracle served God’s purposes for that other person’s life. Different purposes, but the same divine love.

St. Josemaría Escrivá also sees the undying, unchanging love of God at work in our lives, and he expresses it far better than I do. To those of us who doubt God’s care, the saint writes: “Have you forgotten that God is your Father? – All powerful, infinitely wise, full of mercy. He would never send you anything that is evil. That thing that is worrying you, it’s good for you, even though those earthbound eyes of yours may not be able to see it now.”

That’s all for today. I didn’t cover as much ground as I thought I would… Story of my life!

Prayers for you, my friends. Pray for me!

St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Josemaría, St. John Paul the Great – pray for us!