All Saints and All Souls Day... I tend to think of these two days as days to pray to those who have already passed on, many of whom I have never known. Sometimes, I think about figures I have known from the news, etc-- Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, etc-- that are a shoe-in for Sainthood.
However, today at Mass, Father spoke about the multitudes spoken about by St. John in Revelations. He said that of those multitudes, some most likely will be some of the ordinary people we have known in our lives. How comforting that was to think of. Even more comforting was his statement that even the "Cranky and the Crazy" amongst us can still get to Heaven. Boy, since I am probably a candidate for both categories, I was glad to hear that! He spoke further about those who have touched our lives living and non-living that have and are continuing to help us to our goal of being Saints. These are those that have helped us to do more of what Christ has asked us to do in being more Christ like. I started to think-- who has affected my life most positively in this way?
Here are the people I thought of-- they are not listed in the order of importance, rather, chronological order.
My Dad-- 1973
First and foremost, my father. He was the first one that came to mind-- although in his final years, he was difficult for many to deal with, throughout his life, there was probably no more humble and giving a man. Many nights he would be late coming home because he saw someone on the highway that had a flat tire. Most of those times, he would refuse to be paid for his assistance with the person's flat tire, their dead battery, or just waiting with the person as they waited for a tow truck to arrive.My first true lesson on going to Heaven came from my Dad. In chastising me for some transgression that has since faded to oblivion, Dad somehow went on to discussing the subject of who gets into Heaven. He had a piece of chain in his hands, and working his fingers down the links of chain as he described the line of people one by one getting to the Gates of Heaven, he described how some would be allowed in and some would be denied entrance. It scared the living daylights out of me! My Mother was also influential-- probably for the most part just because she loved me, and spent so much of her time listening to me and caring for me- a good lesson in how the Father cares for us all, certainly.
The next person was the most important person in my life-- my husband Joel. For one thing, he asked me to become Catholic. That alone has brought me so much closer to God. Plus, the number of times in the early years after my conversion that I turned to him while at Mass when something happened I didn't understand - he most times instantly knew I was wondering what was going on. He would whisper "after Mass!".
Father Murray who was the priest that conducted the classes I took before being baptised was very influential. At any rate, his teaching of me "took" certainly, and I consider the mind bogglingly incredible gift that he gave me by baptising me on May 12, 1969. He is a very joyous man, and gave me the knowledge that being Christlike is to be full of JOY!
Father Murray baptizing me, with Terry behind me.
Terry, my classmate and Godmother, was the person during the time I took the classes that showed me my first example of a woman that was deeply religious. She was very supportive during those classes and questions that Joel didn't answer, Terry did.
There are many who have also affected me through the years... the Sisters at St. Lucy's in Middletown RI where they supported my first attempts to teach a CCD class. It seemed incongruous that someone who was still giving her husband puzzled looks during Mass could actually teach others about God. (Although I hope they got something good from their classes I taught- there is no way they could have gotten as much from that class as I did!)
Then, in my "thirtysomething" years-- I was finally confirmed-- and my sponsor, Priscilla-- was a model of good mothering, and what a good Christian should be. She was an incredible friend to me at all times. The thing I have always thought of when I think of Priscilla is "Peaceful". The quote from Scripture "In quietness and confidence shall be my strength.".
The person that taught the classes for Confirmation was Sister Cecelia Dolores. She also was such a good friend and over the years, the lessons she taught me have helped so much. She was the most self sacrificing person I think I ever met. Many good friends-- Alicia, Helen, from church, Judy from the place where I worked-- Evelyn from our Marriage Encounter sharing group. I was abundantly blessed far more than anyone could ask for by the people I met through the years.
Three decades have come and gone since I was confirmed. My growth thankfully hopefully) has not stopped there. So many people have come into my life and gone out of it-- some by moving, some by death. Rose taught me about service to God through serving others. One of those I served, Marie, taught me about incredible courage in the face of an excruciatingly painful death, but that there was a reward coming that she was eagerly awaiting. Erin is an example of a person that truly loves everyone. I think she sees Christ in every person she sees during her day.
Rose and I painting "Forget Me Not Pots" at the 2007 Relay For Life-- Cary NC
So who was most important in my faith journey? (Well, first of all, ME -- I am the one that has purposely tried to find the way to be closer to God.)But other than that,it is all of these wonderful individuals that have shared with me -- plus so many more from our Marriage Encounter group in Poughkeepsie, our Small Christian Community group we were in when we lived in Raleigh, the Legion of Mary group I joined a few months ago after moving to Virginia. So many blessings. Thank you to all of them, and to all the blessings to come.
Anyway. Father Thomas gave a lovely sermon about St. Thomas. He reminded us of the Gospel we had just heard, where Thomas said that unless he put his fingers into the nail marks in Jesus' hands and his hand into Jesus' side, he would not believe. Then of course, a week later, Jesus gently tells Thomas to put his finger into the nail marks, and his hand into His side. He wants Thomas to not only see, but BELIEVE. Christ says, "Blessed are those who have not seen, but believe!". Maybe we can answer our own unbelief sometimes with that Scripture passage. We haven't seen, but we can believe.Fifth and finally, the lives of the disciples were transformed such that they were willing to die for their conviction that Jesus had risen from the dead. After the crucifixion of Jesus, his followers were disheartened and depressed. The one who they had believed to be the Messiah, the promised Savior of the world, had died in the most dishonorable way possible, crucifixion. They scattered and fell away, but within weeks they were leaving their jobs, gathering together and committing themselves to proclaiming the Gospel that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God, who died on a cross to pay the penalty for sin and then was raised to life seen alive by them. From an earthly perspective, they had little to gain in return. They were often hungry, ridiculed, beaten and imprisoned. Ultimately, most of them were brutally executed in torturous ways. Why were they willing to proclaim this Gospel to their death? Because they were absolutely convinced that they had seen the resurrected Christ.
