A Personal Prophecy for Deacon George Sebok

Yet, It is a Word for Us All

Deacon George Sebok has been a prayer partner of mine for many years.  I am not sure whether he personally knows Father Sam or not, but they serve the same God, and are both members of our diocesan clergy.

I have watched my friend George grow in faith for almost 25 years now, and the transformation in him through a life of prayer, and also through diaconal formation which led to his ordination a couple of years ago into the gentle spirit that he is, has been profound.  He has often heard the voice of God in prophecy and I came across this particular one when he loaned  me a book recently, in which he had made notes and had written the words that the Lord spoke to him one particular day.

George is not the best of students in the traditional sense.  I remember him not really enjoying all the reading involved in the formation programme, but I also knew that he was faithful to do his reading.  He made notes in this particular book about his being a procastinator, and his efforts to learn to be more orderly in his work, to be better at organization.  He was kind of beating himself up in journalling on this page of the book, when the Lord spoke to him and gave him the following words:

"My Son, I  am not disappointed in you, because you have at your fingertips everything you need to reach Me.  My Son's gift of forgiveness is an example of all the gifts of the Spirit in you.  Just use them and you will be guided day by day, moment by moment, to achieve my guided plan each day.  I do not disregard schedules, commitments, goals and plans.  Just fit me into them and you'll be guided towards living out My plan each day."

Like my friend, we can be tempted by the devil to think that we are not good enough for a task the Lord has set before us, like entering into diaconal formation at nearly 60 years of age.  So, this word from the Lord is a reminder to all of us that repentance of our sinful thoughts, words and deeds, as well as failures to act when called on, and above all His forgiveness of these faults is a grace filled gift from God for us.

And to add to it, we all have been granted the gifts of God's Holy Spirit to guide us daily to and on the path that He has for us, which will take us to the foot of the cross on which hung Our Saviour for US.

The kingdom of heaven is at hand, or at our fingertips as the prophecy says.  We can reach out and touch our God any time we choose, or every moment of our days.

Emma de Guzman in Windsor

Trek to Windsor

On Saturday, May 1, 2010, Emma de Guzman, a Catholic mystic, who has been visited with eucharistic miracles and stigmata bleeding, as well as others.  She is also a visionary and receives messages that she delivers.

My personal experience of her was limited yesterday.  Wayne Zimmer and I made the drive to Windsor, with no expectations of what was to transpire.  When we arrived shortly after 3 pm, we saw Father Sam, and several others we had seen at the prayer meeting on Thursday.

In a short while, Emma, who herself is Filipino, was introduced to the largely Filipino crowd, and she led us all in a sung version of the Divine Mercy chaplet.  It was a wonderful experience and her love of God was evident in the reverence.

After this was completed, a Filipino priest from Detroit, led the mass with Father Sam as con-celebrant.  The mass was the Sunday liturgy, and the priest, whose name I forgot, preached a meaningful homily on Love One Another, not love another one.

After the mass, Emma started to pray over everyone who came up for prayer.  From our vantage point, it appeared that all were being touched, and many were receiving serious healing from Our Saviour, with Emma as the instrument of Him.

Wayne and I had to leave because of other commitments, so we will wait to hear from those present from the Ridgetown prayer group about the results of this event.

It's a Small World

Met an Acquaintance of Father Sam

As readers may know, My Dear Wife and I are currently in Tucson Arizona, about 2,200 miles away from Southern Ontario.  We are in an over 55 RV park on the west side of the city.  I have been attending daily mass at Our Lady of Fatima, a few minutes away from where we are, and met a man from our area. I actually met him last year, but today we got to talking about some things in common.

When I mentioned Father Sam Johnston and this blog, Norm Sutherland, the man I met, said that he had been a parishioner of Father Sam in Petrolia, Ontario, and further to that, had been a classmate of his at St. Peter's Seminary when Norm was trying to discern a vocation to the priesthood, many years ago.

The Disneyland song "It's a Small World after all" comes to mind.

Marino Restrepo - A Friend of Father Sam's from Columbia

He Found his Faith in a Jungle of Terror

The following is reproduced from a May 11, 2001 article in the Chatham-Kent Citizen, written by Randy Coote.

For six months he was dragged through the jungles of Columbia - a kidnapped victim who was told it was just a metter of time before he was to be murdered.

Marino Restrepo is not bitter.  He has no resentment towards his guerilla captors who sentenced him to death and threw him into financial ruin.  Restrepo found his hatih and a personal relationship with God.

The Columbian native travels throughout the world to talk about his experience and how God is ther in any situation.  Restrepo has been in Ridgetown this past week conducting a mission at St. Michael's Catholic Church.

It was Christmas Day, 1997. Restrepo had been living in Hollywod, California for 25 years.  He had been making a living acting in TV programmes and movies and writing songs.

Restrepo has family living in Columbia and he was visiting for the first time in 12 years.  He was walking into the entrance of his uncle's ranch in Ansuema in the Andes mountains when he was grabbed.

"They take people.  They kidnap people for ransoms.  They took me by surprise .  I had been out of the country for 12 years."

"You don't see the rebels in the towns.  They pay criminals to track down information on people and kidnap them."

Restrepo said he was told he was going to be killed, but he had to raise a half million dollars US or his four sisters would be murdered.  They would be killed one at a time and Restrepo would be shown something from each that would prove it.

Kidnapping is all too common in Columbia, Restrepo said.  Local criminals will check out a person who may have money or can raise it.  They then grab the person and sell them to the guerillas who keep them until money is raised.

Restrepo said the victim is killed because the local criminals don't want them coming back to identify them when they are released.

His kidnappers dragged him through the jungle, avoiding army patrols and Contras (people hired by communities to protect them from guerrillas.)  He not only had to contend with knowing he was going to be killed by his captors, but he could be shot during gun fights with the army or the Contras.

"It is a constant war (in Columbia).  It was horrible.  They are cold blooded."

Restrepo said he was tied, gagged and had his head covered for 15 days he say in a cave as the criminals waited for the guerrillas to arrive.  "The rebels came and sentenced me (to death).  They said 'we have to kill you so there is no trace.' "

It was that night that Restrepo said his life changed in a way that has continued to grow since.

"Back in the cave that night I had what you might call a revelation."

Restrepo said he was shown his life and the sins he had committed.  He said it lasted none hours and he knows that because he had glanced at one of his captors' watch who was checking him and it said 8:30 pm. 

When it was over the sun was rising and the birds were singing.

There were spiders and insects in that cave and his body was swollen from bites.  "I was poisined (by the bites) and I thought it was a hallucination at first.  But I began to realize it was mre than that.  It was a vision that lasted nine hours."

Restrepo said he received a spiritualization that night and his life has changed.  But his ordeal as a kidnapped victim being trudged through the jungles of Columbia would go on for another five-and-a-half months.

The guerrillas used a cell phone to contact a lawyer who was collecting the ransom money Restrepo could gather.  Restrepo said he dind't have $500,000.

He sold his house, arranged bank loans, received noney from the actors' union and called on friends and family.  All he could gather was $365,000 and now he faced his sentence to death.

But it didn't happen.  For whatever reason, Restrepo was taken to a roadside and left.  Over six months he had been wearing the same clothes, had not batherd and had grown a beard down to his chest.

"We had always been running from the army and the Contras.  When they let me go it was a total surprise.  I was waiting for 45 days for the order to be killed."

"When someone went by with a new rope I thought I was going to be hanged.  When someone was cleaning a gun I thought I was gong to be shot.  When someone was sharpening a knife I thought I was going to be stabbed.  God was with me all this time."

Following his vision, Restrepo said he spent his days praying.  He prayed for forgiveness and he prayed for his captors.  He didn't hate the people holding him hostage and threatening to kill his family.

"They are puppets of evil.  They thought they were in control.  They were not in control."

During his days in the jungle Restrepo said he was in the hands of 65 to 100 guerrillas.  "They are very violent.  They even kill each other sometimes.  They kill farmers who help them, who can identify them."

Restrepo was someone who could identify them, but he has let go.  "I became  apiritually strong.  I think the Lord helped (him survive).  The rebels make promises to the Lord.  They have a crooked spirituality.  They use anything (to make money).  They assault towns, kidnap, sell drugs, run guns, rob banks."

Restrepo was alive and so were his family members.  But his life continued to change as he left the jungle behind him.  He was financially runied and had to begin paying back monies lent to him for the ransom.

For two years Restrepo didn't speak about his experience and the change in his spirituality.  "I thought it was private, between the Lord and me."

But he came to the realization that the Lord wanted him to give testimony about the experience.

"I lived a comfortable life in the entertainment business.  I had pleasure, fame and money.  The lesson this taught me is God is alive.  This type of thing goes on in the world."

"I think the Lord helped me.  He urged me to talk about my Columbian testimony.  I want to tell people to be with Him and not to worry about those who may destroy your physical life, but those who can take your soul."

Last year Restrepo returned to Columbia without any fear of what might happen to him.  He said he appeared on television and radio programs and gave testimony to a number of groups.

He said he didn't talk against the rebels and those who kidnapped him.  He told of the experience and talked about "Christ the Lord."

He said he was never approached by any rebels and he didn't encounter any problems as he moved freely to give his testimony.

"He gave me a second change.  I try to get people to be more aware about God.

Restrepo said he met 16 Canadians, including Father Martin Johnston of St. Michael's, while in Columbia.  That prompted his visit to Ridgetown to share his testimony in Canada.

"Many people don't think about God.  It's hard for many people here (in Canada) because they live comfortably and are not strong in the belief they need God."

Restrepo said such thinking is dangerous.  People have to think about more than their physical existence.  It's eternal life people have to prepare for.  "Your soul becomes weak if you don't feed it."

Restrepo is back in Hollywood and taking work to pay off his debts.  He said he has two more years of monthly payments to clear up money owed for his ransom.

In the past, Restrepo has taken parts in such television shows as the Equalizer, ER, Dallas and Pacific Blue.  Today he only looks at parts that will not contravene his faith.

He is up for a part in a new television series being created along the lines of Touched By An Angel.

"It's not like it used to be.  If I see something that is against my faith I won't do it., even if I'm in debt."

"I lead a simple life.  I do acting to pay the bills.  I realize all your money can go at once.  Life is an illusion.  It can all disappear."

Restrepo said sharing his experience can help others.  Seeing someone who has gone through horrible experiences can show how strong faith can be.

He said he is not bitter over his kidnapping experience because he has gained much more than he ever had before.  "I pray for them (his captors) and I love them."

Mr. Restrepo has his own web site here.

Ordinary Heroes - Our Catholic Priests

Father Sam et al

In the years that I have been back in the fold, being the years since about my 30th birthday, I have had the honour to meet several priests, some of whom became or were bishops, and it saddens me to think that their well deserved reputations as preachers of the Gospel, and more than that, livers of the Gospel are being tarnished because a few of their number have gone off the reservation, in one way or another.  I do not wish to diminish the sins of those who have damaged the faithful, but all priests and all of the rest of us are sinners.  As one priest friend of mine said many years ago, we are all sinaholics.  But, it is too easy to look at the few and put that target on the majority.

The priests I have known are men like Father Sam, men who heard a call to a vocation that defies most of our logic.  They were called to a life of celibacy, a life of prayer, and generally a life with little in the way of personal possessions.  I hold him and the others I have known in the highest regard, not because they get it right all the time, but because their love of our Saviour is the most important thing in their lives, and as such they are seekers of the truth.

Father Sam is a very good example of the priests I mean.  He was not the brightest bulb in the pack.  As he told me he spent two years of his life in each of grade 8, 9 and 13, not the academic achievement of a rocket scientist.  He is not sure how he got through the seminary, and became a priest.  He never really read a book until he was over 42, and he became a priest when he was 38.

That is the cool thing about God.  All he wants is willing hands, men and women who will put their hand to the plow and not look back.  That fits Father Sam to a "T".  As I sit here in Tucson, Arizona, knowing that he is going about his business in Ridgetown, Ontario, with plans to be obedient, and go to Columbia in a couple of weeks, and to Medjugorge in about 5 weeks or so, I can tell you that I would like to be able to sit with him in his kitchen and hear of his love of Our Saviour and His Blessed Mother.  The hours that I have spent in his presence have been hours that I have spent in the presence of Jesus.

Let us all honour our priests in this year set aside as a Year of Priests. 

An Encounter With Jesus

Downstream Effects of Prayers

Yesterday in Tucson, My Dear Wife and I encountered Jesus in a special way, as I reported here.

The link to Father Sam is this.  Father's prayers with us, and his hearing of my confession a while back have opened my heart to see Jesus like never before.  My love for My Dear Wife has grown immensely, and the scales (at least some more of them) are falling away from my eyes.

Before we left his house the last time, he took a picture of us together with his digital camera, so he could pray for us.  He did not need the picture of us to pray, but he wanted it.

Article By Charles Stanley

Written in 1990

From Father Sam's files, I have this story attributed to the Evangelist Dr. Charles Stanley, of Atlanta Georgia.

We are the Church of Peter.  That's good news.  We are the Church of Peter, not the Church of Perfect, but the Church of Peter.  Listen to this:

He was there when Christ said," Follow me." He was no prize, but he was there.
At the sermon on the mount, he was no humble peace maker, but he was there.
At the revelation of the Messiah, he became proud, but he was there.
At the transfiguration, he spoke our of turn, but he was there.
In the upper room, he would not wash feet, but he was there.
In the garden, he went to sleep, but he was there.
When they came for Christ, he used his sword, but he was there.
At Christ's trial, he lied and denied: he cried and he cried, but he was there.
At the cross, he followed from afar, but he was there.
When Mary Magdalene told of the resurrection, he was surprised, but he was there.
At Galilee, when Christ appeared, it hurt to be questioned three times, but he was there.
At the Ascension and commissioning, he didn't fully understand, but he was there.
At Pentecost, he was drunk with power, but, Praise God, he was there.
At Cornelius' house, it was against all custom, but he was there.

Peter wasn't always right.  In fact, he was almost never right, but he wouldn't go away; he was always there.  Peter got there first, and he got it right later, but you will never get right if you never get there.  Because he got there at Cornelius' house he could say, "Now I understand."

You don't get there because you are always right, you get there because you are always willing.

You know, that is the story of Father Sam's life.  He never quit on God, and God has rewarded his faithfulness, just as he will reward yours and mine.

Today We Travel To Ridgetown to See Father Sam

If I Can Get Over Yesterday

Over at my own personal blog, Freedom Through Truth, I wrote of my meeting with Father Michael Prieur at St.Peter's Seminary in London yesterday, and of my Encounter with Jesus Christ, then and through the night.

Today, my dear wife and I are driving down to see Father Sam and have dinner with him.  I think that I am going down to get some thoughts from him for future postings, while I am away in Arizona with my dear wife.  But, then yesterday, I thought that I was going to St. Peter's to talk about the attacks some bloggers have started against Father Prieur.

As I was open yesterday to whatever came to pass, I remain so today as well.  We shall see.

Alter Christus

Our Beloved Catholic Priests

Over at Freedom Through Truth, I posted much of the following, but here at Life in the Spirit, I wanted to make reference to some of the priests who have had an influence on me over the years, and particularly recently, as I journey on my faith walk.

I have been familiar with the term alter christus being used to describe Catholic priests.  The words mean "another Christ".  It is a very Catholic term, as opposed to a catholic term, and in particular refers to the priests charism to, through the grace of God, change water and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, during the holy sacrifice of the Mass.  I do not profess to fully comprehend it, nor to have an interest in debating it.  It is a matter of faith for me, and for those who live the Catholic faith.

In a recent posting here, I wrote of a prophecy for the Church and its priests that though it was probably originally 20 years old, is pertinent now.  In that prophecy I made note of some priest of my acquaintance, though acquaintance is too trite a word.  Each of these priests, and I made note of 7 of them, starting of course with Father Sam Johnston, whose blog this is, to Father John Pirt, and Father Francis Jeyaseelan of my own parish of St. George, in London, and Father Michael Prieur of St. Peter's Seminary here in London, Father Clement Agamba, who was our associate pastor in Tucson Arizona last winter, as well as priests I have encountered blogging, Fr. Tim Moyle in Mattawa, Ontario, and Fr. James Farfaglia in Corpus Christi Texas have served as spiritual guides for a minute, for a day, and/or forever to me, whether they knew it or not.  But, the fact is that many more priests have been my spiritual guide over the years whenever they consecrated the Body and Blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the holy sacrifice of the Mass, heard my confession, or went about their daily vocation within my view in some way or another.

Sometimes, we think they are not human like us, with joys and sorrows, trials and tribulations like ours.  Those that have fallen into areas of sexual sin are actually a little too much like us, and so we should condemn their actions, and hold them to account for the breach of trust that they have committed.  But, we should resist the urge to judge the man, or the condition of his soul, and above all the love that God has for him, while trying to bring healing to those he has wounded along the way, and to bring the wounded and him to a fullness of the knowledge of God's love for him.

Above all, we should resist any urge to condemn all priests for the actions of a sad few, and to condemn the Church for its actions in the past trying to protect some priests from the justice they deserved.  That is what the devil would like us to do, condemn others, because that is what he does. 

From the Sancta Sanctis blog here, I have copied this beautiful view of our often beloved, often misunderstood, and often all too human Catholic Priests.  It is worthy of reflection.

It can be easy to forget the quirky individual behind the Alter Christus. What Catholic hasn't, at one time or another, seen clerics as functionally identical pegs for filling the same hole reproduced all over the world? Yet as the Twelve Apostles themselves show us, Jesus seems to delight in selecting extremely unique pegs . . . for He never saw them as just pegs.

Every priest you meet was once a little boy who might have dreamed about being something else--like an astronaut or a professional athlete or a soldier. Like many little boys, he might have driven some older (female) relative crazy just by being himself.

He might have been one of the "bad" ones, one of the unusually saintly ones, or one who was just average.

He might have kissed a girl, crashed a car, worked on a farm, taught himself the guitar, failed his first Latin test, and just smoked his last cigarette. He might have a 'blog. He might not even know what a 'blog is.

He might have discerned his vocation during his well-to-do family's trip to Rome or on the day a missionary priest gave him his first pair of shoes. His family and friends might be proud of him, confused by him, furious at him, or even taking bets about how long he will last. He might have many close friends from childhood or not a single friend left from seminary.

Finally, one day he, too, will die: perhaps it will be on the bloody field of martyrdom, or in the clean bed of a retirement home, or in a random highway accident. Then he will need your prayers more than ever.

Every priest you meet is just like you . . . and yet . . . not like you at all. By the imposition of a bishop's hands, he is something else forever.

(Read the rest of my Year of the Priest posts in Index: Sacerdotal Sunday.)

I have known many priests over the years, covering the range that the writer of this very Catholic blog describes and more,since she was not trying to write a doctoral thesis, but a thought for meditation.  Some I have not liked because of things they said or did, or didn't say or do.

A particular priest who I have not really cared for over the years prays the consecration part of the Holy Mass with such reverence for Our Lord and Saviour that it is really hard to hold against him some imagined/ remembered flaw or fault or thing done or said, now so may years ago as to have morphed into a version that is not probably like the actual moment in time.

So, for all priests of today, yesterday and tomorrow I offer up the prayer I posted the other day.

A Christmas Miracle

Joshua's Christmas Gift

Here is a Christmas Story from Joshua, with a Christmas miracle for you to ponder for yourselves. This has no direct connection to Father Sam, except for prayer, which I guess is a pretty direct connection, if you get my meaning.

I know exactly how you feel. I awoke this morning at 2:55 a.m. and the first thing that crossed my mind was the thought: "The Christ Child is HERE!"

A kind of elation followed me as I crept down the stairs to avoid waking my sleeping son. I sat before the computer and visited this site for a while, listened to the gorgeous music you've been posting in the run-up to this Very Special Day, and wondering when sleep would overcome me again.

Suddenly, a brilliant (and very motivating) thought crossed my mind. I retrieved the rosary I had recently received, and took myself to bed. As I lay there praying, the most overwhelming sense of calm and warmth enveloped me. The beads began to slip through my finders more quickly as I recited the rosary. A pervasive feeling of velocity - a going forward at incredible speed - overtook me. For a moment, I actually felt afraid. Then I remembered the rosary in my hands, and continued to recite my prayers.

I "suppose" I fell asleep and dreamed, but that is only in hindsight. My experience was quite different. The velocity finally abated, and I found myself actually "chatting" with Jesus Christ right there in my bedroom which had become filled with blinding light. And no, I don't drink or take any mood-altering drugs. This was NOT a hallucination.

I shared with Jesus Christ my deep fears about my son's immediate future. He'll be leaving me in a little more than a week, and will posted to Afghanistan within the month. I told Jesus in no uncertain terms about how important my son was to me and others, how much I love him, and how I would gladly exchange my life for his - if it comes to that.

I thanked Jesus Christ for giving me life, for blessing my life the way He has, and for continuing to remind and show me that He is always at my side.

My wife, my sons, my family, my friends, my talents, my EVERYTHING flows not from me, but from Him! It became so OBVIOUS to me how little I would actually have without Jesus Christ in my life that I wept tears of joy. And Jesus Christ said to me in as clear a voice as I've ever heard: "Joshua, your gift of faith in Me is the only acknowledgement I want from you, and you give it to Me every day. You have prayed so much for your son. I know he is your hero, and I promise you he will return to you full of life and courage and faith, and he will be a hero to many, many others, too. My the blessings of the Father fill your every day, Joshua. Remember Me, and remember this moment."

That was it! The room was dark again, and I found myself sitting upright, feet firmly planted on the bedside mat, a couple of tears trickling down my face.

I got up immediately. I picked up the phone and dialled my wife, who is away visiting family in Scotland. She was laughing as she answered, saying "Hello there, Joshua. I was wondering how long it would take you to call me."

Momentarily flummoxed, I asked how she knew it was me (they don't have "call display" where she is staying). "Because I went to church again this morning and prayed throughout the Mass that i would hear from you the moment I got back. I had just taken off my boots when the phone rang. Who else could it have been? How many people spend a whole Mass praying to hear from you, Joshua? Only me, m'love. Oh, and maybe the kids, but they have their own fish to fry right now. And Jesus always answers my prayers. Always." And we chatted for an hour thereafter.

Funny that Jesus should tell me that my faith in Him is my gift to Him. I always thought my faith in God was the greatest gift I had ever received from Him, followed by the gift of my beloved wife. Now, with His words pinging around inside my skull with astounding clarity, I am falling in love all over again with my wife. This is maybe the millionth time, but who's counting?

Merry Christmas, everybody. Jesus Christ is born and will never leave those who accept Him into their hearts. And those who do/have will confirm to you what I am about to say.

Accepting Christ the Saviour into your heart brings to you an infinite capacity to/for love.

I am a happier man today than I was yesterday, but not because it is Christmas. I am happier today because I've lived another day on earth in the embrace of Jesus Christ.

Could a man possibly ask for more? Could a man possibly receive more? I don't think so.

God indeed IS alive, and His Son Jesus Christ lives in my heart. I ask for nothing more.

Again, Merry Christmas.

I have previously joined my prayers to Joshua for the safety of his son, when he leaves on his mission with the US armed forces. That was good. But, when the Saviour of the World comes to you personally and tells you all will be well, then none of our unrealistic fears can overcome that.

Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.

So What About The Atheists?

FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY

This story did not come from Father Sam, but could well have.

In Florida , an atheist created a case against Easter and Passover Holy days.

He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring,"Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying: "Your honor, How can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays.."

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."

The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned.."

You gotta love a Judge who knows his scripture!

H/t Joshua

When God Created Fathers

Another from Father Sam's File

This piece that Erma Bombeck wrote many years ago was tucked into the file I was given by Father Sam, and is a heartfelt thought on how God created Fathers.

When the good Lord was creating fathers, He started with a tall frame.

A female angel nearby said, "What kind of father is that? If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tick a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without a lot of stopping."

And God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him childsize, who would children have to look up to?"

And when God made a father's hands, they were large and sinewy.

The angel shook her head sadly and said, "Large hands are clumsy. They can't manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands on ponytails or even remove splinters caused by baseball bats."

And God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets at the end of a day, yet small enough to cup a child's face."

And then God molded long, slim legs and broad shoulders.

The angel nearly had a heart attack. "Boy, this is the end of the week, all right," she clucked. "Do you realize you just made a father without a lap? How is he going to pull a child close to him without the kid falling between his legs?"

And God smiled and said, "A mother needs a lap. A father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, balance a boy on a bicycle or hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."

God was in the middle of creating two of the largest feet anyone had ever seen when the angel could contain herself no longer. "That's not fair. Do you honestly think those large boats are going to dig out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries? Or walk through a small birthday party without crushing at least three of the guests?"

And God smiled and said, "They'll work. You'll see. They'll support a small child who wants to ride a horse to Banbury Cross or scare off mice at the summer cabin or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill."

God worked throughout the night, giving the father few words but a firm, authoritive voice and eyes that saw everything but remained calm and tolerant.

Finally, almost as an afterthought, He added tears. Then He turned to the angel and said, "Now, are you satisfied that he can love as much as a mother?"

The angel shutteth up.

Reminds me very much of Father Sam, by the way.

One Day at a Time

Something from Father Sam's Personal File

In reviewing the papers that Father Sam gave me the other day, I filed them in various folders to figure out what he had given me. One folder is marked Other for things that he slipped in because they had some significance to him at the time. This is one of those items.

It is a meditation about the meaning of the Serenity Prayer, and well worth a read and some time to ponder.

One Day at a Time

There are two days in every week about which we should note worry, two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these is YESTERDAY with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. YESTERDAY has passed beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a single word we said; YESTERDAY is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is TOMORROW with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. TOMORROW is also beyond our immediate control.

TOMORROW's sun will rise, with in splendor or behind a mask of clouds - but it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in TOMORROW, for it is as yet unborn.

This leaves only one day - TODAY. Anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities - YESTERDAY and TOMORROW - that we break down.

It is not the experience of TODAY that drives men mad - it is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened YESTERDAY and the dread of what TOMORROW may bring.

Let us therefor live but one day at a time.

"God, grant me the calmness to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."