OCTOBER 2018

The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways

     A few years ago, my father was slowly dying from cancer.  He was under hospice care, but still staying at my parent’s home.  During those final weeks, my sisters and I would take turns staying overnight with my mother at their house. It was during my sister’s sleepover when my father passed away.  I received a phone call about two in the morning (which is never good) and was informed my father had stopped breathing.  My sister Andree’ is a Registered Nurse, so I pretty much took what she said as right on target.  Andree’ asked my wife Kim and I to come over before the funeral home would arrive to take care of my father.

     When we arrived at my parent’s home, there was a police car and another car I didn’t recognize.  The police were there to complete a death report.  The other car belonged to Father Amal, the priest from my mother’s church. Notice I said my mother’s church.  My father wasn’t exactly a church-going man.  He was a true “Catholic C.E.O”.  Christmas, Easter, Only.  One time when he was at church, he asked me “Where are the flowers?”  “What flowers?”  I asked.  He replied, “There are always flowers at mass, you know those red ones or the white ones…”  I figured it out, the red ones were Christmas poinsettias and the white ones were Easter lilies.  The only two times he went to mass.
Anyway, we go inside, and a policeman is completing his report and Father Amal is delivering the Last Rites.  Not long after that, the gentlemen from the funeral home arrived and took my father to the funeral home.
   
     So, there we are, my mother, my sister, Father Amal, Kim and I drinking coffee and engaging in small talk.  Then Father Amal asks “So, Rene, where do you go to church?”
Now when I said my father wasn’t a church-going man, I could have been speaking about myself.  The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  I wasn’t living a rock star’s life, but I wasn’t living at the foot of the cross either.  Church was not a part of my life, back then.  I had better things to do on Sunday such as sleeping late, watching football or riding bicycles.  Not wanting to lie to a priest, I told him I don’t go to church.
Calmly, he replied “Oh no, you should go, get Jesus back in your life.”

     Maybe this was the wake-up call I needed and I got thinking.  Here was a man who got out of bed at two in the morning to deliver the last rites to someone he didn’t even know.  “I tell you what, I’ll make a deal.”  I replied.  “Since you came here in the middle of the night, I’ll go back to church.” And I’ve been going ever since. 

     I returned to the Catholic Church and am glad I did.  Kim and I started sitting in the Adoration Chapel (at 1:00 AM, Saturday if anyone wants to exchange times with us) and I attend Manresa retreats.  The retreats are for the prayers and the food.  I even became a retreat captain.  Kim is active in the parish, also. I don’t think you’ll be seeing “Live Like Rene” magnets on SUV’s driving down Metairie Road, but I’m happier with God in my life. 
  
     I’ve learned a few things from this.  One is, the church will always take you back.  Also, prayer works.  I realize God doesn’t always answer my prayers as I wished, but he’s listening.  Now, I am convinced the Our Lady of Prompt Succor prayer works during storm season.  Saints season, not so much.  Something else I learned, when choosing a Catholic school for your child, the Men’s Clubs with the best fish fries have the best schools.  That led us to SCS School.

     I’m glad we got to be part of St. Catherine of Siena School.  Our son Andre’ went to SCS from Pre-K to 7^th grade.  His SCS education helped get him to Jesuit and LSU.  He was a Cub Scout all the way to Eagle Scout with Troop 230 at St. Catherine.  We have made many good friends working fairs, beer booths, spaghetti dinners, pancake breakfasts and crawfish boils.

     The Lord truly does work in mysterious way.  I took my father’s passing to get me back to church and I’m better for it.