News & Notes for April 20, 2010
April 22, 2010 by admin
Filed under News from St. Rita School, Worth Reading
April 20, 2010
Dear Parents,
God’s peace!
While in Reynosa those building met each morning and evening for prayer. During one of those prayer experiences one of the students read the following story:
A man is being tailgated by a woman who’s in a hurry. He comes to an intersection and when the light turns yellow he hits the brakes. The woman behind him goes ballistic. She honks her horn and yells profanities. As she’s ranting and raving someone taps on her window. To her horror she looks up and sees a policeman. He invites her out of her car and takes her to the station where she is searched, fingerprinted and put in a cell. After a couple of hours she’s released and the arresting officer gives her her personal effects and says to her, “I’m very sorry for the mistake, ma’am. I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn and using foul language. I noticed the ‘What would Jesus do?’ bumper sticker, the ‘Choose life’ license plate holder, the ‘Follow me to Sunday School’ window sign and the peace emblem on your trunk, so I naturally assumed you had stolen the car.”
The story’s end caught all of us by surprise. The reflection that followed centered on how each of us does not often “walk the talk.” How do we live what we believe in? How do others know what is most important to us? How do we reflect God to others?
As the week progressed I witnessed God in our midst in those who built and in those for whom we built. Each person there was focused on “the other.” No one thought very long about themselves…they always found themselves reaching out…doing for…and anticipating the needs of someone else. We didn’t have any bumper stickers on the back of our vans that proclaimed that God was near…but the message that each person carried was evident in how they lived and worked and played.
On my return flight I found myself in prayer. “Help me Lord… Help me to live what I know to be true…that there is only one way to know true life… to love You, my Lord, and to love all people. Give me the grace to be for others…and to forget myself…”
May each of us be graced to live what we believe…to be courageous enough to forget ourselves so that we may look to the needs of others…
In prayer,
Sr. Maureen
