Quiet Corner
Though your message was unspoken
I met her as I walked into the church in Castlefin. There was Adoration taking place and I thought I might call in for a while, to say a prayer and focus a few thoughts for this evening. “Are you going in to hear confessions?” I said no but that I could if she wanted. I said there’d be a Penance Service on Thursday evening and that I might hear confessions this evening. Again, I told her I could do it then if she wanted but she said “No, there’s plenty time.” Maybe I should just have said “yes”. What else was I doing? A few minutes wouldn’t have made that much difference. Yeah, chances are, I should have said “yes”.
After spending a while in the Adoration Chapel – pleasantly surprised to see so many there – I wandered around the church for a while. I’d noticed the statue of Our Lady earlier in the day and thought it a meaningful presence in the church. I hadn’t gone close to it though so was happy to be able to spend a bit of time there. Something very gentle about it. I like the two water containers – Old and New Testaments maybe and Our Lady bridging the two – the link. Beside the statue two candles burned. I wonder was it the same person who lit both? Chances are it was. What was the intention behind them? The one prayed to and the intention prayed for and the person doing the lighting maybe also the bridge between the two.
I thought of Knock again and the silent witness given by Mary. That witness was born of her ability to say “yes” and I’m back again at the door of the church and meeting a woman who asked “Are you going in to hear confessions? Still think I should have said “yes”.
LENTEN THOUGHT: Go with your gut feeling when asked to do something – even if that feeling is pushing you in a direction you hadn’t planned. Most likely it’s the right thing to do.
