Yes, John is around this summer, and not out in a parish as he would prepare to go for his second year in the seminary. I have been sharing in small ways that John discerned that he would not be going back for year 2 at this time, but that he would take some time off and see what he could do in the real world. He has been here at home with dad and I, and applying many places in the area. It seems that he has the firm direction to be here and work. So far he has applied to Church related job as well as farm related at the local elevator. They did not work out. He has many other resumes at most businesses in the area and is constantly on the look out. On the feast day of St John the Baptist on Monday as I was blogging about John's journey - I had the thought that he should try to get into speaking - his passion and gift from God- about his Faith journey! There are many people that make this their life's profession to travel and speak as well as write from their wealth of understanding brought to them by the Most Cherished Cross - for John it would be cancer/healing/seminary/now what Lord?...
When I mentioned this to John - he lit up and immediately was on the phone to speak to all his priest friends in the area. He found great enthusiasm from his cousin and fellow warrior in his battle - Fr Criag Timmerman! A day later he headed down to Canby to attend mass at 6p and then they had supper and visited about how this could be John's call! So many things started to flow from the conversation about how the Lord could be calling John to evangelize the message - The Lord is listening to our needs, He answers our prayers, He heals through His Bride, The Church and The Sacraments! As a side note - yesterday was the 4th anniversary of John being annointed for the first of 4 times in his cancer journey! Very powerful to have a priest friend of our son-in-law, Joseph, come to St Joseph's Hospital cancer floor to annoint John. I recall that he was given the time for confession/reconcilliation as we were asked to leave the room for him to have this opportunity. The sacraments were there for us - with Eucharist daily wherever we found ourselves, and the Prayers were in the thousands and all around us! The word just came that strawberries are to be picked and jam made... so this will be wrapping up quickly!
What JOY to be having the time to pray and share with John for this time! It will take a lot of time and energy and prayer and listening to Christ speak to us through his Word, his priests, the wisdom of John's father... so many ways that we are led to the Truth. So many exciting options for John to go forward to share and serve the HIM - sharing the message of Faith that he was blessed with when he half-heartedly prayed for faith to become real for him - the next week he had brain cancer! Sitting in a small chapel at Mayo - in a wheelchair and unable to walk on his own - surrounded by all of his sisters and parents... John realized that he had prayed for this and the Lord had answered him! The cries of agony that came from him in that tiny room with Jesus on the altar to feed him and bring him to the new John - they piereced my soul and heart just as watching her Son suffer and die and be misunderstood did to Mary the Mother of Heaven and earth! Lord! This is such an amazing path for John and you are probably asking John to find a real job and do this on the side, but could it be that you want him to serve you in your church as a layman with this message of Hope and JOY and Truth? We trust that you are showing him your path and opening doors into the future for him. He is a young man on fire for YOU and your Bride, The Church! We know that You need someone, as John the Baptist before him, out shouting your Truth at the top of their lungs and baptizing those for forgiveness of their sins... just as you did for John on the anniversary of his first annointing 4 years ago! Such a gift of your unconditional LOVE and forgiveness we are given, O Lord! May we come to YOU often and lay all our burdens at your feet, and go soaring up light as a feather with your LOVE! Jesus, thank you for lighting John up on fire and filled with your LIGHT for all to see, and to come to know that You are alive and well in this world! Jesus, we Trust in YOU. Amen and Halleluia
Bless-bless, Barb
"Remain in me, as I remain in you says the Lord; whoever remains in me will bear much fruit." We hold onto this promise, Lord!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU_rTX23V7Q Who am I? Casting Crowns
No comments:
Post a Comment