Friends, I love this reading from Philippians because it reminds me of so many of the great Saints.
Brothers and sisters. If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace and love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vain glory. Rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not only for his own interests but also everyone for those of others. ~ Philippians 2:1-4
Certainly, Saint Charles was a great pastor who radically changed the large Archdiocese of Milan in Italy for the better. Or Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who left her home in Albania, went to Ireland, and then to India. When she heard the voice of the Lord saying, “I Thirst for you to go to the poor in the streets of Calcutta." She would go on to spend the rest of her life seeking and finding the Lord Jesus hidden in the distressing disguise of the poorest of the poor.
The Story of the Blacksmith
Once, a village blacksmith had a vision. An Angel came to him and said:” The time has come for you to take your place in God's Kingdom.” “I thank God for thinking of me,” said the blacksmith. “But as you know, the season of sowing the crops will soon be here. The people of the village will need their plows repaired and their horses shod. I don't wish to seem ungrateful, but do you think that I might put off taking my place in the Kingdom until I have finished?” The Angel looked at him in the wise and loving way of angels and then disappeared.
The blacksmith continued his work and was almost finished when he heard of a neighbor who fell ill in the middle of the planting season. The next time the blacksmith saw the Angel, he pointed out the barren fields and pleaded with the Angel. “Do you think eternity could hold off a bit longer? If I don't finish my job, my friend's family will suffer greatly.” The Angel smiled and vanished.
Ready for the Kingdom
The blacksmith’s friend recovered, but another's barn burned down, and a third was in deep sorrow at the death of his wife. And the fourth, and the fifth, and so on. Whenever the Angel appeared, the blacksmith just spread out his hands in a gesture of resignation and compassion and drew the angel's eyes to where the suffering was. One evening, the blacksmith began to think of the Angel and how he had put him off for such a long time.
He felt very old and tired, and he prayed, “Lord If you would like to send your Angel again, I would like to see him now.” He had no longer spoken when the Angel appeared to him. “If you still want to take me,” said the blacksmith, “I am now ready to take my place in the Kingdom of the Lord.” The Angel looked at the blacksmith and smiled as he said: “Where do you think you have been living all these years?” Amen.
- Father Boby's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
- To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Consider inviting others to join too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
