Friday March 16, 2007

Friday of the Third Week of Lent

March 16, 2007


“Thus says the Lord; Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt.”

Hosea 14:2

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“God allows U-Turns.” That is what out church sign reads as people buzz by in their cars on 148th Avenue. And I thank God that he allows U-Turns. So many times I am going to the wrong place and I would never be able to get to the right place unless I was allowed to U-Turn to God. I U-Turn all the time. I am sure I U-Turn thousands of times in a single week. Think about how miserable we would be and how our lives would end if God did not allow U-Turns. But God allows for U-Turns and that is called salvation. We move from misery to joy when we U-Turn away from the wrong places and turn it back to God.



I have an awesome U-Turn story for you. I take Monday’s off (Good luck! Can’t remember having a full Monday off for a long time) One Tuesday morning at our daily 8 am mass, I noticed someone totally new sitting in the pews. She came up to me after mass and asked if she could go to confession and talk. I told her I could hear her confession and we could schedule a time to talk as I had other appointments waiting for me. In the course of reconciliation she told me that she was driving by our church sign and parking lot the day before (Monday) when she felt inspired to come to church and confession. She made a U-Turn and pulled into our church. We were having a Communion Service like we do on all Monday’s and she was told that she could come back tomorrow (Tuesday) and that I would hear her confession. At this point I was pretty much up to speed on how she got to my church in her desire to go to confession.



The story continues. She shared with me how she had become Catholic almost a year ago at the Easter Vigil and that she had not stepped inside the church since then. I did not find out why and a lot of what I was thinking about in our ten minutes together was that God allows U-Turns. There is not a more effective or real way to U-Turn back to God than in the sacrament of reconciliation. I was thinking about how this daughter of God was U-Turning it back to God and how you get God when you come to God. You cannot do better than that! She U-Turned her car and her life back to God and God was going to absolve her all her sins. At this point I looked her in the eyes and asked the question, “Do you know what is presently written on our church sign?” She said, “No. I just saw that you were a Catholic Church.” I pointed out, “Our church sign reads, ‘God allows U-Turns.’ Isn’t that amazing? You are making a U-Turn to God and you did not know that the sign you passed said, ‘God allows U-Turns.’ In your U-Turning you will know forgiveness of your sins and you can enter the life of the church. Know what the sign says is true.”



God allows U-Turns. U-Turn to him and give him his turn with you so that he can turn you around to share with the so many guilty and despairing people you walk with each day that “God allows U-Turns.”



Live the confronted life!

+Fr. John