Thanks to the generosity and
encouragement of Allison Gingras and Elizabeth Riordan, an ever-expanding group
of Catholic bloggers take the time each week to re-post their favorite articles
on “It’s Worth Revisiting” Wednesdays.
Do yourself a favor: go there now (and every
Wednesday) and let these authors bless and challenge you in your Faith journey.
During the rest of each
week. visit Allison at Reconciled To You and
Elizabeth at Theology Is A Verb.
You will be pleased with what they share.
I hope you find something of value in what follows:
Good Night Lord: Thank You For My Life and My Dominican Vocation
(Originally posted: April 25, 2011)
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| (Image source: Wikimedia Commons) |
There are two reasons why I may have some difficulty falling asleep tonight.
On
my way to Mass this morning at a Church near where my son and his wife
live, I was awestruck by a life size portrait of Our Risen Lord that was
on display immediately in front of the Church's main entrance. It was
the most astonishing portrait that I had ever seen. I could not keep my
eyes off of it. While gazing at it, I began to make a left hand turn
down a side street and to a nearby parking area. So distracted were my
mind and eyes that I turned directly into the path of an on-coming
vehicle.
I never would have seen that vehicle had my guardian angel not
prompted me to look up and cause me to sharply veer to my right as the
other more attentive and skillful driver veered to his right as well.
Only by God's grace and Divine will did the two of us escape serious
injury or even death. Only my loving Lord knows why He spared us this
morning - just another stark reminder that none of us are promised a
tomorrow and that all of us must be ever ready to stand before His
thrown of justice.
After saying Evening Prayer this
evening, I received another "prompting." This one was to look at the
most recent posting at Creative Minority Report - a powerful vocation
video prepared by the Dominican Friars of the Eastern Province of St.
Joseph. You can view it here.
This
brief glance into the Dominican Order reminded me how blessed I am to
be a Lay Dominican in that Province and how blessed our Province is to
have so many men who deeply love God, His Catholic Church, the
Eucharist, the priesthood, and preaching. These are men whose zeal for
the salvation of souls mirrors that of their Father St. Dominic.
As
this day draws to an end, I head for bed with a greater appreciation
for God's mercy, for my vocation as a Lay Dominican, and for the
Dominican priests who have challenged and enriched my life.
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