It was an interesting day at church this morning. To begin with, the usual “ushers” were not there. The volunteers who were there tried desperately to do the job, but it was clear they were all very uncertain about what they were doing. There was even a lull during the service as we waited for them to get organized. I watched the woman in our area as she went from one task to the other in a visibly unsure manner. She was even more stressed as a teenage girl went out the doors crying. The woman followed her, I am assuming to comfort her, then came back in to do her next task. As I watched, I thought about when I did different things for the church – some were more challenging than others. At one point, an onlooker said, “God is really stretching you today, isn’t He?” That comment always stayed with me and I think about it when things feel hectic. But typically at the end of it all, I am able to come away with more knowledge, more faith, and more trust. I felt that is what the woman was going through. Also today, the Mass intention was for my uncle and aunt who recently passed away. My mother had set up the date and time and sent cards to her nieces to let them know. I thought about the trials that my uncle and aunt face just in the 3 years that I heard from them personally. And I thought about their children and how difficult it must be for them to lose both their parents in a short period of time. I prayed for them all, as well as the other people in our families. At the end of Mass, a man spoke about a school he and his sister started in Kenya. They named it after their parents as a tribute to them on their 50th wedding anniversary. It was a beautiful story. I thought about how much I have and how blessed I am, yet I still complain about this or that. While the children in the school live in a seriously dire situation, yet laugh and have a smile on their face. Overall, it was a very emotional time at church, but very prayerful and thought provoking.

I Found God today in the many instances of His presence at church.