4/16/02
I have had two experiences last night and tonight.
I decided to pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and wait there for Chrissy,my granddaughter, instead of coming back home and go back to get her from CCD classes.
The same with Joshua, my grandson, tonight.
Last night, as I entered the chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is, I hear some ladies praying the rosary by the statue of Medgugorie Blessed Mother). I decided to join them, so I just sit by them and started to pray the rosary with them. When they finished they say hi and wanted to know my name... I told them and they said they meetthere every Monday for a Charismatic Prayer Group... only four showed up... they wanted to know more about me, and then I told them I eeded to leave early to get Chrissy and that was all; one wanted to have my telephone # and they seem so happy I was there and they said they were blessed with my visit. They were all smiles and one of the ladies was an old lady, whom they call 'mom'. She is the mother
of one of them. They have a basket on the floor and they told me they put petitions for addictions there. In other words, they pray for deliverance of addictions... I said to myself, "well, my daughter has an addition to the JWs cult". So I wrote her name down and placed it inside the basket... this ladies will be praying day and night for these intentions.
Tonight I was there again. Then some people started to come, and they
started to pray the rosary; this time in Spanish. Then at the end, the chapel was almost full of Spanish people with guitars and a microphone... and they started to sign praises to God, also they were Charismatics in Spanish... the two girls sitting besides me, they hug me, and they smile at me and they seemed so happy to be with me there. They just say their names and asked me mine; I told them, I needed to leave early to get my grandson. They say OK.
I have this people smiles in my mind and I couldn't help to think of the 'smiles' in the KH when I have visited the KH thinking it was a good tactic to go with my daughter to get her out..... their smiles looked fake.. and they certainly in their lips for a purpose. The minute I would get baptized and start to doubt the org. anything! a wrong move and after that, those smiles will turn into evil and hate...
I was also meditating about the fact that if I continue to go every week to both of this prayer meetings, or one of them or whatever, I would probably make new friends that will help me pray for my intentions; I bet I could tell them my life, my testimony, my crosses, my trials, my happiness and they will tell me theirs.. and here I would have a community built in Christ as the center. And that is what it makes the difference! Christ as the center, not the people, not the WT.
The same, if one day I decide not to go, or leave for good... if I tell them I have become a Protestant or JW or whatever, if they see me again at the market, they will still come and greet me and if any of their friendship would go deeper, like Rosa Maria's (my mentor, a friend I met 29 years ago, when I came to California from Costa Rica), she will still accept me as well and will continue to be my friend.
How free we are in Christ and His Church.. I could very well miss Mass as long as I want, go to whatever Temple I feel or want, there is not this thing about the KH I belong to.... and need to go; not shunning whatever even if this ladies found out I am having an affair or whatever or if they found me drunk on the street...
I can go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, tell the priest my sins, grave or not, all my transgression of each week, if I chose to do so, and all this friends will never know; the priest won't set a Judicial Team to kick me out. I can go to Communion every day of my life, even if I'm not one of the chosen ones. I can partake every single day until the day I die. I can be the worse sinner of the world and only God will know and the people I chose to tell; they will pray for me and would give me support and they will beg God for my salvation.
For all this, I want to thank God! Love to all,
Yadira