Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Crosswalk


I met a man at the crosswalk.  It was the crosswalk of a busy downtown street but it could easily have been a crosswalk of life.  He asked for help.  I knew he wanted money of which I had none.  I held out my hands to show him that all I carried was my office key and a rosary.  The rosary was a simple bracelet made of wooden beads held together by a strand of elastic. Day after day I worked those wooden beads through my fingers, slowly wearing them down to the elastic thread.  I told him that he could have my rosary, if that would be a help to him.

He asked, "What's a rosary?"

And I could have entered into a lengthy discussion right then and there, trying to explain the ancient Catholic devotion to the Blessed Mother.  I could have told him about how the angel came to her telling her that she was the highly favored one and her humble response of acceptance.  I could have shared the great sorrow of her life, how she stood beneath the cross and watched her son, her own flesh and blood, God's own flesh and blood, suffer and die, and how before his last breath escaped from his lungs he gave her to all of us to be our own mother.  I could have told him about the glory of that Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of our Savior and the promise of our own eternal joy.  I could have stood there and taught him the words of the prayers that echo through my heart for hours after I pray them.  I could have told him about the great joy and happiness that my Catholic faith brings to me and how praying the rosary is part of that joy and happiness.

But the light was about to change and I was late for work so I simply said, "It's to pray with."

He reached out his hand to accept my offering and I placed my rosary within his upturned palm and said "God bless you!"

And as I walked away I prayed for his well-being, both physically and spiritually.  I prayed that he might actually cling to the rosary and formulate his own prayers from his heart.  I asked the Blessed Mother to hold his hand and comfort him in his need so that he would no longer suffer the effects of poverty of body or poverty of soul.

12 comments:

  1. Anne,
    You're a good person, and a missionary in your own right. That story truly uplifted me and touched my soul.
    With love and prayers,
    Gail

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    1. Thank you so much Gail! You know that old saying that Fr. Larry Richard is so well known for, "always be ready to give them a reason for your hope." I guess with a rosary in hand it all becomes so much easier to explain without ever having to open your mouth! Love and prayers for you as well!

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  2. what a wonderful story. Is that a rosary similar to the one you gave him? I like it!

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    1. Thanks Allison! It's pretty close to my rosary, the closest one that I could find a picture of online. My rosary didn't have a crucifix and all of the beads were brown. The centerpiece was a heart with a picture of the Blessed Mother on one side and the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the other. I had picked it up at a vocations conference a few years ago and it was my favorite rosary for "on the go" prayer.

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  3. Beautiful story, Anne. I pray that he saw Jesus in you as you held out your hand to give him a little piece of hope. God Bless you!

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    1. Tiffany, the world is so full of people who are hungry in more ways than one. It's such an honor for me to have the opportunity to actually meet those people once in a while and to be able to share my faith in any way I'm able. I guess that's what the New Evangelization is all about! Hope all is well with you and your family as you begin your last summer before your first child leaves the nest. Prayers for you!

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  4. This reminds me of the saying, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." May this Rosary bring him comfort. Your actions preached the Gospel to him :) You gave him something that was important to you, asked God to bless him, and prayed for him too. I'd say you preached the Gospel well! God bless! I am going to say a prayer for this man too.

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    1. Thanks for your prayers for him Mary! I was thinking of another quote that would apply to this situation as well: "Silver and gold I have none, but what I do have I give to you!" Acts 3:6

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  5. Hi, your blog really touches me, have been reading it for a while... Just wanted you to know about a website i started ReadYourBiblesChurch.com... It's a place for Bible study guides.. I also put a forum in that can be viewed from a mobile device.. I couldn't find where to contact you privately so I'm commenting, hope that is okay. :) God Bless!

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  6. Yes, that is a good one, Anne :)

    Anonymous left the exact same message on my blog on one of my posts...lol. I guess it's easier to cut and paste when you want to get a message out ;)

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  7. Mary, same message from anonymous on mine too! :). Somehow I don't feel as touched that Anonymous was touched now :)

    Anne, I loved hearing about this. How wonderful God gave you the chance to bless him and for all of us to be blessed in the reselling of this grace filled moment.

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  8. Lol, Anne and Colleen! I guess all our blogs touch anonymous in the exact same way!

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