to ignore God
About a dozen years ago, I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with a family friend, someone whom I had not seen in nearly forty years. I had last seen Fr. John Pack when I was twelve years old. He was a young Korean priest who was a gifted pianist with a marvelous voice. A few years later Fr. John became a quadriplegic, the result of a diving accident. When he returned to my home town I felt compelled to see him again.
For much of the intervening years I had ignored God for I had far more important matters to attend. But God had grown tired of my recalcitrance; He took control and I had no choice but to meet Him head-on.
As you might well imagine, forty years will change the physical appearance of a small boy. Not only was I taller and heavier, I sported a beard and long hair. Yet, the moment I entered Fr. John’s room, he greeted me with a smile and called me by name. It was instant recognition. He knew me. He knew, before I ever uttered a word, all of me. And I knew that I was in the presence of more than a simple priest living in a broken body.
We never spoke of my lost faith; we only spoke of pleasant memories. As I prepared to leave, he gave me a book that he thought might “help me on my journey.” And so it did. But what I found within its pages failed to compare with the eyes that saw within my soul and the voice that spoke of forgiveness and love. I cannot prove it but I know it. God was there before me. I may have ignored Him for years but He was there, within my sight and will be forever in my mind. And all I felt was love.
