Little Johnny was crying. His mother asked, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the matter?鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淒ad was hanging pictures, and hit his thumb,鈥� said Johnny through his tears.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not serious,鈥� soothed his mother. 鈥淲hy didn鈥檛 you just laugh?鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 did!鈥� sobbed Johnny.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Joy and tears have one father. 鈥淭o know even one life has breathed easier because you lived, this is to have succeeded,鈥� 鈥� Ralph Waldo Emerson.聽
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 There is a story told of ancient monks who searched the earth looking for the door to heaven. Finally, they found the place where earth meets heaven. When they opened the door, they were back at their monastery, where they lived their daily lives.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 To enable others to touch the hem of Christ鈥檚 garment is to be at the place where earth meets heaven. I have shared this experience with my readers before, but I can never recall it without choking up.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 When my sister Helen was dying of cancer I went to see her for the last time. She was in and out of consciousness, but she seemed to grow alert and say, 鈥淵ou are here? I鈥檓 so sorry.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I wondered that despite her pain and condition she should worry that I had driven all the way from Canora to Saskatoon. 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry,鈥� she repeated.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 all right,鈥� I assured her. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all right,鈥� I continued to assure her.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Later I became aware of another perception. In one of her lucid moments she told one of my sisters that she had seen Jesus. She was happy. Jesus had told her it was all right.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We are at the place where earth meets heaven. Christ is in us, is with us, and acts through us. Jesus is present in the Word 鈥� He is the Word made flesh. Jesus makes himself present to us Sacramentally: 鈥淗e who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him,鈥� John 6:56.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A third way Jesus is still with us is in his promise 鈥淲here two or more are gathered in my name I am in their midst鈥� 鈥� Matthew 18:20. How simple it is then to be Christ to others!
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Father Brendan McGuire in a recent homily said, 鈥淧aul鈥檚 letter to the Corinthians says you and I are the Body of Christ; you and I, today, are the living Body of Christ. So if Christ is to work in this world, it is because of your hands and my hands; your lips and my lips; your feet and my feet鈥t is only through us that this happens.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The Holy Spirit is in us through baptism. Christ chose to stay with us in this world, and it is through us that others can touch the hem of Christ鈥檚 garment. The woman of great faith in Luke 8:40, who had been suffering for years, merely touched the fringe of Jesus鈥� clothes and her health was restored.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Lifting up others, being bearers of good news can be as simple as affirming others. Recently a reader sent me this note: 鈥淲hoa鈥his touched me in a deep and profound way鈥hanks.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 People feel if they can鈥檛 do something massively heroic a good deed is wasted. Paul Wallenberg, who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from the holocaust by forging citizenship passes, said to do 鈥淥ne small thing at a time.鈥� We are the hands and feet of Christ in this world.聽
