What Eric Taught Me…
Good morning world!! It’s 6:30 am as I write this while flying to Maryland to speak at Mount Saint Mary’s University tonight. Even though I’m extremely exhausted, for some reason I can’t sleep. I use to be able to sleep on air planes and I have no idea what happened.
I’m really excited to be going to Mount Saint Mary’s!! God is good!! So many amazing young women who are involved with Made in His Image study at the Mount, so it will be awesome to see them and meet the incredible women I haven’t met yet. Can one be in love with their job? Well I am!
And I’m beyond excited to see Eric Clark, who will be ordained a priest in May 2013. I want to tell you a story about Eric and what he gave me. It was May of 2008 and I was flying to Kolkata, India to serve with the Missionaries of Charity for a good part of the summer. I was a senior in college and Eric was one of the FOCUS missionaries leading the trip. He was sitting to my left on the plane. So here I was excited for this opportunity to go to India to serve, but incredibly nervous at the same time. “What will India be like? Will I actually be able to help the people there? I wonder what their reaction to us will be?”
While these thoughts were racing through my mind, Eric turns to me and says, “Maura, would you like to see a picture of my girlfriend?” “Oh good, normal conversation,” I thought to myself. “I would love to see a picture of your girlfriend.” He smiles and pulls out a prayer card of Saint Faustina and hands it to me to hold. “Isn’t she beautiful?” “She’s beautiful alright, but isn’t this a saint?” He laughs.
Later on in India, Eric gave a talk about God the Father’s love. I broke down and wept. I had never heard about a love like that before. I couldn’t fathom someone loving me the way in which Eric described how God loves us. He used adjectives to describe God the Father that were foreign to me. He said God was “gentle, loving, merciful, understanding, compassionate, and that He adored us” (His creation). It was exceedingly challenging for me to digest what Eric was saying. But there was something about God the Father that captivated me. Even though I didn’t know Him or understand how He could love me, I yearned to with all my heart. I desperately craved love. And not the counterfeit love that the world offers, but genuine authentic love – the love of the Father.
After Eric’s talk I went up to him. “Eric I want to know God like that. Can you teach me?” One of the things Eric told me was that in order to know God, I must frequent the sacraments. So I made a commitment that I would attend daily Mass, go to adoration and go to confession more.
It changed my life.
Eric gave me a gift. He taught me about the Father. It’s been years since I have seen him and I’m honored and humbled that he is coming to my talk tonight! All the glory to God!
I want to lovingly encourage you that no matter where you are with your relationship with God to make a commitment to get to know Him more. If you don’t pray at all, then pray for 5 mins. If you don’t go to Sunday Mass, then go this Sunday. If you already go to Sunday Mass, then pick an extra day to go during the week too. Pray the Rosary and if you’ve never prayed it, that’s okay, just start. Take little steps each day at furthering your relationship with God the Father. And sit in silence too and ask Him to show you who you are as His son or daughter. He sees beauty in you. Tell Him you long to see it too.
Buy, borrow or beg, (but don’t steal) a copy of the book “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Henri Nouwen. It changed my life and I know it will change yours too.
And don’t forget, no matter what you have done, the Father adores you. He died to take your sin. You are His creation. He created you out of love, to be loved. He has a plan for you! You have a purpose. Go to Him. He is waiting with His loving, compassionate and gentle Arms to forgive, heal and restore you.
P.S. You are enough.
