GOD'S FAVORITE HAUNT

There had been a period in my life when I was like the girl in the story below who felt that inorder to find God and be with Him I should isolate myself from the people and the world. I soon realized that I did not have to be a hermit nor a cloistered nun to be close to Jesus.

The Lord obviously has called me to be in the world among His creatures, with a family to take cared of, and to make a difference in their lives. And this I continue to do in my own little ways and in accordance with His Will for me.

GOD'S FAVORITE HAUNT [1]
By Fr. Nil Guillemette, S.J.

MONA WAS an innately withdrawn young woman who enjoyed nothing more than being by herself. She could spend hours alone in her room, lost in her thoughts or intent on study or prayer. This latter occupation was something she had taken up only in recent months. Not that she was ever ungodly. In fact, she had always had a pious streak in her character. But this had greatly developed of late, namely since her brother had died in an accident. This tragedy had brought her closer to God. She had taken up daily meditation and had found great consolation in prayer. So much so that she could spend hours in solitary prayer, away from the hustle and bustle of human affairs, content to commune with God.

But one day something strange happened to Mona. Her prayer became suddenly very dry and distracted. What before had been a delight became a burden almost overnight. Of course the young woman had previously experienced some dry spells in her prayer, even desolation at times. These she had taken in stride with a fine courage, knowing full well that they were precious opportunities for self-detachment and for growth in pure love of God. But this new experience was something else. This was an unrelieved barrenness of mind and heart which had lasted now for well over a month. Try as she may, she had the impression that God was totally absent from her life, that she had been completely abandoned by God.

One day, in a paroxysm of despair she fell on her knees and cried out in her prayer, "Where are you, God?"

And, at that moment, she heard with utter clarity an inner voice saying, "Mona, leave your room, go outside and you will find me."

The young woman stood up immediately and ran into the street. Where would she go, she wondered. After some hesitation she decided to head for the nearest church.

"Surely," she thought, "God is waiting for me in a church."

On her way there she met a group of friends. These were in high spirits and hailed her merrily.

"Hey, Mona! We're going to the market. Come along with us!"

But Mona would have none of that: she was far too intent on finding God.

"Sorry," she answered, "but I'm very busy right now." And she hurried off in the direction of the church.

When she arrived at the church, she knelt down and waited for God to manifest himself. She did not know what to expect, but on the strength of the inner voice she had heard in her room she was sure that God would come to her in one way or another, either in a great consolation or in a vision or by some other means. And so she waited confidently.

Time passed., After a long while her knees began to hurt. So she decided to sit down. An hour passed and nothing happened. The young woman's confidence began to waver. Had she misunderstood God? Another hour passed and still nothing happened. By now Mona's confidence was completely shattered. Something had gone wrong. What was it?

"Where are you, Lord?" she prayed in despair.
Then a sudden thought occurred to her. God had said, "Go outside, and you will find me." Perhaps he meant to be found literally outside, that is in the open air, in nature. If that were the case, it would explain why Mona could not find Him inside a church. This logic struck her with such force that she then and there decided to leave the church and head for the countryside. So off she went.

In the outskirts of the town she met another group of friends. They called out to her, "Hey Mona! Come with us, we're going to the market." But Mona declined with a mumbled excuse and hastened toward the countryside.

There the young woman found a beautiful spot on the top of a hill from where she had a marvelous view of the entire landscape.

"Surely," she thought, "God will manifest himself here in the majesty of the nature he created." And she sat down to wait.

Again time passed and nothing happened. After an hour Mona became restless.

"Please God," she prayed, "have pity on me. I've been waiting for so long to find you, don't disappoint me this time."

"Another hour passed, and still nothing happened. By now the sun was going down in the horizon, and Mona grew desperate.

"Where, oh where is God?" she questioned frantically. And in her anguish she began to think of death. Was life worth living if one was unable to find God?

The thought of death soon became overpowering. And just then an extraordinary insight flashed in her mind: was not death what the inner voice heard in her room had referred to? "Go outside, and you will find me." Until then she had interpreted the word "outside" literally. But suppose it was meant to be taken figuratively? Suppose it meant: outside of life?
As Mona turned these thoughts over and over in her feverish mind, the idea of committing suicide soon blotted out all other thought. If ever she were to find God, she reasoned, it would be by meeting him through death. This conclusion seemed so inescapable that she forthwith stood up and began to walk toward the river. Her intention was to jump from the bridge and drown herself.

On her way to the river she met another group of jovial friends. "Come, Mona." they shouted as she passed by, "We're all going to the market. They say there's a circus in town."

But the girl hastened on instead without a backward glance. She was on her way to meet God.

When she got to the bridge, she had a moment's hesitation. The water seemed so cold and dark... But then she remembered the urgency of the voice heard in her room. As an echo rumbling in a deep well the words of the voice reverberated in her mind, "Go outside... go outside... go outside..." That was enough to overcome her reluctance. And, without any further consideration, she threw herself into the water.

Fortunately, a man was fishing from a boat anchored under the bridge, hidden from Mona's view. This man promptly rescued her even before she could lose consciousness. In a matter of minutes she was sitting on the bank of the river, drenched but safe and sound. The cold water had somewhat calmed down the young woman's religious over-excitement. Obviously the miraculous intervention of the fisherman was a clear sign that God did not want her dead.

Mona sighed. "What now?" she thought. Dejectedly, she set off for home.

Back in her room she dropped on a chair, drained of any feeling except for a dull ache in her heart. Soon this feeling welled up into a bitter resentment at God. Had the inner voice telling her to find God outside her room been an illusion? If so, how could God have allowed her to be so deluded all the while she was seeking him so earnestly? These and other similar thoughts began to whirl in her head. Finally she cried out in despair, "Please Lord, tell me where I can find you!"

All of a sudden a great calm came over her. And then she distinctly heard the same inner voice which had spoken to her earlier in the day. Now it spoke in a tone of gentle reproach.

"You cannot find me, Mona? Yet I have already told you on three occasions where you can find me."

This time the young woman was aghast. "Where is that, Lord?" she asked in utter dismay.

"Why, at the market place of course. Three times I summoned you there through the invitation of your friends."

This was too much for Mona.

"But why the market place?" she inquired incredulously.

"Because," pursued the gentle voice, "I am always present where people flock. After all, I am their shepherd."

Early the next day Mona went to the market place. As usual it was dirty, noisy and teeming with a boisterous crowd. But, for the first time in her life, the solitary girl did not mind. She knew God was there.

End Notes

1. Fr. Nil Guillemette, S. J, "Greater Than Our Hearts - God Tales for Young and Old", St. Paul Publications, 1989: chapter 23, pp. 105-109

2. I have Fr. Nil's permission to use his stories via his letter to me dated Feb. 10, 2001: "In answer to your letter of Feb. 1, which I received yesterday, I gladly give you permission to use my stories in your bible sharings. However, in order to discourage any illegal pirating from unscrupulous readers, please always add the proper reference (author, publisher, book, pages, etc.). "

GOD'S FAVORITE HAUNT

There had been a period in my life when I was like the girl in the story below who felt that inorder to find God and be with Him I should isolate myself from the people and the world. I soon realized that I did not have to be a hermit nor a cloistered nun to be close to Jesus.

The Lord obviously has called me to be in the world among His creatures, with a family to take cared of, and to make a difference in their lives. And this I continue to do in my own little ways and in accordance with His Will for me.

GOD'S FAVORITE HAUNT [1]
By Fr. Nil Guillemette, S.J.

MONA WAS an innately withdrawn young woman who enjoyed nothing more than being by herself. She could spend hours alone in her room, lost in her thoughts or intent on study or prayer. This latter occupation was something she had taken up only in recent months. Not that she was ever ungodly. In fact, she had always had a pious streak in her character. But this had greatly developed of late, namely since her brother had died in an accident. This tragedy had brought her closer to God. She had taken up daily meditation and had found great consolation in prayer. So much so that she could spend hours in solitary prayer, away from the hustle and bustle of human affairs, content to commune with God.

But one day something strange happened to Mona. Her prayer became suddenly very dry and distracted. What before had been a delight became a burden almost overnight. Of course the young woman had previously experienced some dry spells in her prayer, even desolation at times. These she had taken in stride with a fine courage, knowing full well that they were precious opportunities for self-detachment and for growth in pure love of God. But this new experience was something else. This was an unrelieved barrenness of mind and heart which had lasted now for well over a month. Try as she may, she had the impression that God was totally absent from her life, that she had been completely abandoned by God.

One day, in a paroxysm of despair she fell on her knees and cried out in her prayer, "Where are you, God?"

And, at that moment, she heard with utter clarity an inner voice saying, "Mona, leave your room, go outside and you will find me."

The young woman stood up immediately and ran into the street. Where would she go, she wondered. After some hesitation she decided to head for the nearest church.

"Surely," she thought, "God is waiting for me in a church."

On her way there she met a group of friends. These were in high spirits and hailed her merrily.

"Hey, Mona! We're going to the market. Come along with us!"

But Mona would have none of that: she was far too intent on finding God.

"Sorry," she answered, "but I'm very busy right now." And she hurried off in the direction of the church.

When she arrived at the church, she knelt down and waited for God to manifest himself. She did not know what to expect, but on the strength of the inner voice she had heard in her room she was sure that God would come to her in one way or another, either in a great consolation or in a vision or by some other means. And so she waited confidently.

Time passed., After a long while her knees began to hurt. So she decided to sit down. An hour passed and nothing happened. The young woman's confidence began to waver. Had she misunderstood God? Another hour passed and still nothing happened. By now Mona's confidence was completely shattered. Something had gone wrong. What was it?

"Where are you, Lord?" she prayed in despair.
Then a sudden thought occurred to her. God had said, "Go outside, and you will find me." Perhaps he meant to be found literally outside, that is in the open air, in nature. If that were the case, it would explain why Mona could not find Him inside a church. This logic struck her with such force that she then and there decided to leave the church and head for the countryside. So off she went.

In the outskirts of the town she met another group of friends. They called out to her, "Hey Mona! Come with us, we're going to the market." But Mona declined with a mumbled excuse and hastened toward the countryside.

There the young woman found a beautiful spot on the top of a hill from where she had a marvelous view of the entire landscape.

"Surely," she thought, "God will manifest himself here in the majesty of the nature he created." And she sat down to wait.

Again time passed and nothing happened. After an hour Mona became restless.

"Please God," she prayed, "have pity on me. I've been waiting for so long to find you, don't disappoint me this time."

"Another hour passed, and still nothing happened. By now the sun was going down in the horizon, and Mona grew desperate.

"Where, oh where is God?" she questioned frantically. And in her anguish she began to think of death. Was life worth living if one was unable to find God?

The thought of death soon became overpowering. And just then an extraordinary insight flashed in her mind: was not death what the inner voice heard in her room had referred to? "Go outside, and you will find me." Until then she had interpreted the word "outside" literally. But suppose it was meant to be taken figuratively? Suppose it meant: outside of life?
As Mona turned these thoughts over and over in her feverish mind, the idea of committing suicide soon blotted out all other thought. If ever she were to find God, she reasoned, it would be by meeting him through death. This conclusion seemed so inescapable that she forthwith stood up and began to walk toward the river. Her intention was to jump from the bridge and drown herself.

On her way to the river she met another group of jovial friends. "Come, Mona." they shouted as she passed by, "We're all going to the market. They say there's a circus in town."

But the girl hastened on instead without a backward glance. She was on her way to meet God.

When she got to the bridge, she had a moment's hesitation. The water seemed so cold and dark... But then she remembered the urgency of the voice heard in her room. As an echo rumbling in a deep well the words of the voice reverberated in her mind, "Go outside... go outside... go outside..." That was enough to overcome her reluctance. And, without any further consideration, she threw herself into the water.

Fortunately, a man was fishing from a boat anchored under the bridge, hidden from Mona's view. This man promptly rescued her even before she could lose consciousness. In a matter of minutes she was sitting on the bank of the river, drenched but safe and sound. The cold water had somewhat calmed down the young woman's religious over-excitement. Obviously the miraculous intervention of the fisherman was a clear sign that God did not want her dead.

Mona sighed. "What now?" she thought. Dejectedly, she set off for home.

Back in her room she dropped on a chair, drained of any feeling except for a dull ache in her heart. Soon this feeling welled up into a bitter resentment at God. Had the inner voice telling her to find God outside her room been an illusion? If so, how could God have allowed her to be so deluded all the while she was seeking him so earnestly? These and other similar thoughts began to whirl in her head. Finally she cried out in despair, "Please Lord, tell me where I can find you!"

All of a sudden a great calm came over her. And then she distinctly heard the same inner voice which had spoken to her earlier in the day. Now it spoke in a tone of gentle reproach.

"You cannot find me, Mona? Yet I have already told you on three occasions where you can find me."

This time the young woman was aghast. "Where is that, Lord?" she asked in utter dismay.

"Why, at the market place of course. Three times I summoned you there through the invitation of your friends."

This was too much for Mona.

"But why the market place?" she inquired incredulously.

"Because," pursued the gentle voice, "I am always present where people flock. After all, I am their shepherd."

Early the next day Mona went to the market place. As usual it was dirty, noisy and teeming with a boisterous crowd. But, for the first time in her life, the solitary girl did not mind. She knew God was there.

End Notes

1. Fr. Nil Guillemette, S. J, "Greater Than Our Hearts - God Tales for Young and Old", St. Paul Publications, 1989: chapter 23, pp. 105-109

2. I have Fr. Nil's permission to use his stories via his letter to me dated Feb. 10, 2001: "In answer to your letter of Feb. 1, which I received yesterday, I gladly give you permission to use my stories in your bible sharings. However, in order to discourage any illegal pirating from unscrupulous readers, please always add the proper reference (author, publisher, book, pages, etc.). "

Poor Housing Market and Home Staging

The struggling housing market is forcing people to take more drastic measures to sell their homes. A local credit union held a class aimed at helping homeowners attract buyers. Many homeowners say they need all the help they can get. With the struggling housing industry, many homeowners have to do a lot more than a sign to market their homes. When the market is not good, you have to do things to make your house stand out.

Home Staging is the way to make your house stand out from the crowd. To learn more about home staging, buy 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home NOW and For More Money Than You Thought.

Poor Housing Market and Home Staging

The struggling housing market is forcing people to take more drastic measures to sell their homes. A local credit union held a class aimed at helping homeowners attract buyers. Many homeowners say they need all the help they can get. With the struggling housing industry, many homeowners have to do a lot more than a sign to market their homes. When the market is not good, you have to do things to make your house stand out.

Home Staging is the way to make your house stand out from the crowd. To learn more about home staging, buy 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home NOW and For More Money Than You Thought.

William Daglish, Santa Cruz, California

I recently found some advertising materials for Daglish’s Health Food Service of Santa Cruz, California, and a little research led to a colourful story.

An article from the Santa Cruz Sentinel by Carolyn Swift provided some details.

The story begins in 1928, when Sarah Jane Kitchen married William Edward Daglish. The couple moved to Santa Cruz at the height of the Depression, opening the “Daglish Free Welfare Depot”. William quickly earned a reputation: the report describes him as "something of a fanatic, driving a "sign-flaunting gas chariot"... on a boisterous one-man moral crusade".

Life for his wife was difficult. She was described as "semi-invalid" and, forced by her husband to eat his chosen diet, some thought she was slowly starving – and said she occasionally went to neighbours for more food.

On July 17 1940, Sarah Jane died. She was buried the next day, Thursday, when William delivered the funeral sermon. On the following day he eloped to Reno, Nevada, with 22-year Joan Allardyce where the couple were married. This series of events led to nationwide news coverage, and one newspaper reported:

"If Daglish and Miss Allardyce had reached the Remo marriage license clerk four minutes later than they did, their marriage would have to be postponed until Sunday because Daglish’s church, Seventh Day Adventist, does not sanction marriages on Saturday."

Meanwhile, back in Santa Cruz, the authorities had ordered Sarah Jane’s body to be exhumed from the Felton Cemetery, and tested for poison.

William protested his innocence and gave his version of the story. He accused the authorities of a plot against him because of his campaigning against vice and gambling. He claimed that Sarah Jane had approved of Miss Allardyce as his future wife, and had urged him to marry her immediately after the funeral.

No poison was detected in the tests, and the authorities accepted the coroner’s decision that Sarah Jane had died of “hemorrhagic pancreatitis”.

The handbill dates from just after this in 1941. The photo shows William, Joan and their daughter Noaomi Celeste. William continued his business until his death in 1952.

William was born in 1896 in Indiana, the son of John Daglish and Mary Aldrich. His grandfather, also John Daglish, had emigrated from England.

I would be very interested to know more about the family and their story, or to hear from any relatives. Also any photos of the Daglish store in Santa Cruz, which was covered with various slogans and adverts - I have seen one small photo from the 1950s, but this is too small and the quality too poor to show here.

William Daglish, Santa Cruz, California

I recently found some advertising materials for Daglish’s Health Food Service of Santa Cruz, California, and a little research led to a colourful story.

An article from the Santa Cruz Sentinel by Carolyn Swift provided some details.

The story begins in 1928, when Sarah Jane Kitchen married William Edward Daglish. The couple moved to Santa Cruz at the height of the Depression, opening the “Daglish Free Welfare Depot”. William quickly earned a reputation: the report describes him as "something of a fanatic, driving a "sign-flaunting gas chariot"... on a boisterous one-man moral crusade".

Life for his wife was difficult. She was described as "semi-invalid" and, forced by her husband to eat his chosen diet, some thought she was slowly starving – and said she occasionally went to neighbours for more food.

On July 17 1940, Sarah Jane died. She was buried the next day, Thursday, when William delivered the funeral sermon. On the following day he eloped to Reno, Nevada, with 22-year Joan Allardyce where the couple were married. This series of events led to nationwide news coverage, and one newspaper reported:

"If Daglish and Miss Allardyce had reached the Remo marriage license clerk four minutes later than they did, their marriage would have to be postponed until Sunday because Daglish’s church, Seventh Day Adventist, does not sanction marriages on Saturday."

Meanwhile, back in Santa Cruz, the authorities had ordered Sarah Jane’s body to be exhumed from the Felton Cemetery, and tested for poison.

William protested his innocence and gave his version of the story. He accused the authorities of a plot against him because of his campaigning against vice and gambling. He claimed that Sarah Jane had approved of Miss Allardyce as his future wife, and had urged him to marry her immediately after the funeral.

No poison was detected in the tests, and the authorities accepted the coroner’s decision that Sarah Jane had died of “hemorrhagic pancreatitis”.

The handbill dates from just after this in 1941. The photo shows William, Joan and their daughter Noaomi Celeste. William continued his business until his death in 1952.

William was born in 1896 in Indiana, the son of John Daglish and Mary Aldrich. His grandfather, also John Daglish, had emigrated from England.

I would be very interested to know more about the family and their story, or to hear from any relatives. Also any photos of the Daglish store in Santa Cruz, which was covered with various slogans and adverts - I have seen one small photo from the 1950s, but this is too small and the quality too poor to show here.

NO STRINGS ATTACHED

If we are truly serious in our desire to live a life in union with our Lord we will continue to strive towards detachment from earthly things. We will also try to do away with habitual faults that deter us from making headway in our quest for holiness. For as long as we keep on with our "personal strings" in our lives we will have a hard time progressing in our journey towards a closer and intimate relationship with God. This Lenten season is a great opportunity to reflect on these personal strings and try to overcome them through prayer and fasting.

*****

NO STRINGS ATTACHED [1]
By Fr. Nil Guillemette, S. J.

“A voluntary, deliberate choice (against God’s will),
however slight the object, prevents not
only union, but all progress.”

- St. John of the Cross,
The Ascent of Mount Carmel,
bk. 1, ch.11

*****

THEY WERE a deeply committed Christian couple. They had been faithful to each other throughout the years, had raised their three children as best they could, had gotten involved in various social and charitable causes. That evening they had attended their monthly talk on Carmelite Lay Spirituality, given by a Carmelite priest. And the two of them, Max and Sylvia, had listened most attentively to what the speaker had to say.

That evening he had expounded on the absolute necessity of detachment from sin for any real spiritual progress to be made. In the wake of St. John of the Cross’ teaching, he had insisted that the object or matter of a given sin could be very small, but that nevertheless it created an insurmountable obstacle to progress in intimacy with God since, by its very nature, sin is a “no” to the will of God, a deliberate choice not to give God what he is asking. Saying “no” to God and loving Him simultaneously are impossible. The examples given were: being demanding and fastidious over food; indulging in tittle-tattle and gossip; preferring a person’s company to what we know is God’s will at a given moment; and so forth.

At one point the speaker had brought up John of the Cross’ famous metaphor of the string: whether a bird is tied down by a cable or by a mere string, it doesn’t matter, for the end-result is the same, it cannot fly. Likewise in the life of the soul: if we remain enslaved even to a small choice against God’s will, we cannot progress towards him.

The talk was now over, and Max and Sylvia were back home, holding a postmortem on the talk over a light snack. Sylvia was the first to steer the conversation into the area of personal applications.

“You know, Max,” she said half-smiling and half-serious, “I think I’ve got a string in my life.”

Max was surprised. He knew his wife so well he couldn’t imagine that a woman of her total dedication to the things of God could have a disorderly attachment in her life, something that would create an obstacle to her intimacy with God.

“Oh? Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m pretty sure. It’s those cheap novels I love to read every day; you know those pocketbooks of detective stories, romance, science fiction?”

“But there’s nothing wrong in that! Those books are not immoral or anything.”

“No – it’s just that they’re such a loss of time. Just think that I easily spend two hours a day reading such books, while I could be doing any number of more useful things for the Kingdom.”

He didn’t insist. come to think of it, it was true that Sylvia had been addicted to reading pocketbooks for years, sometimes neglecting more urgent things in order to satisfy her passion. But now that the children were grown up and that she had more time on her hands, he had figured that she could indulge herself in her innocent pastime. Nonetheless, if the Spirit was moving her towards abstention, he would certainly try to give her the support she would need.

“Anyway,” he said, “it’s up to you, honey. Just be sure it’s not going to be too difficult for you. After all, the Lord’s yoke is supposed to be easy and his burden light.”

She was grateful for his understanding. Max was truly a man of God, she thought with admiration, and she always discovered new aspects of his utter dedication to the service of God and his fellowmen. She didn’t imagine he had any strings keeping him from spiritual progress.

“By the way,” he continued after a pause, “I think I’ve got a string too.”

“Are you serious?” she asked in astonishment.

“Yes,” he said. “It’s about my habit of watching TV every evening until past midnight .”

“But you’re not doing anything wrong either.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be too sure about that. You know how lousy I feel in the morning when I get up. I’m a bit cranky at breakfast – or at least sullen. I’m so sleepy at the wheel when I drive to work that I’m a public menace. Then it takes me part of the morning to reach my cruising speed on the job. No, honey, I’ve become aware of these things lately – after years of not really noticing anything wrong: strange, isn’t it? – and now I know in my bones that God wants me to do something about it.”

“Like what, do you think?”

“Well, like turning off the TV after the ten o’clock news, for instance. Yeah, I think that’s what I’m going to do.”

She didn’t protest. She had too much respect for his sterling honesty and level-headedness. If he figured he had too much TV he was probably right.

“Okay, Max,” she said. “I’ll second you on that. But just make sure you’re not more cranky at breakfast for having missed your favorite programs.”

She was joking, of course, because Max was very even-tempered, at least exteriorly. They both laughed.

“Well then,” he said in conclusion, “do we agree to both work on our personal string at least for a trial period? Then we can evaluate and see if we made the right decision.”

They agreed on a one-month period.

The following month was difficult for both of them. At times Sylvia thought she would go crazy without her novels. And so, in order to fill the horrible void in her life (she was really surprised at the strength of her addiction) she took up meditation and spiritual reading on a much more regular basis, began visiting old ladies in her neighborhood and doing their shopping for them, got involved in voluntary assistance to the handicapped, enrolled in an Art course at the university, and in general progressed enormously in her awareness of God’s presence in her life.

On his part, Max experienced a similar deepening of his closeness to God – apart from feeling much moiré alert and alive when he got up in the morning. He also found he had more time to pray, to relax, to enjoy Sylvia’s company. But these benefits were not gained without a fierce struggle on his part. And there was many a time when he would turn off the TV after the ten o’clock news only with the greatest reluctance.

At the end of the month they compared notes. They both observed that the sacrifice they had made had cost them terribly – much more that they had anticipated – but that it was well worth it. And so, they decided to hold themselves to their resolution, come what may. this they did, and their spiritual progress continued with great intensity, allowing of course for the inevitable ups and downs of Christian life. Thus a year passed.

When the time came for Max’s annual vacation, they decided to spend it driving around the country, so as to admire nature’s beauty. Their three grow-up children came to see them off on their trip.

Just as they were leaving the driveway, one of the children shouted to them.

“Hey! Drive carefully there! It’s easy to get killed on those superhighways.”

“We know,” Sylvia shouted back with a laugh, “but we’re ready to die.”

Those were their parting words. And also their last message to their loved ones, for they never came back from that trip. Both were killed instantaneously when a big truck rammed their car at full speed.

Afterwards, Sylvia’s last words, “we’re ready to die,” were repeated at the eulogy delivered during the funeral. And every one there who knew them agreed: Max and Sylvia at the end of their lives had both reached the point when they belonged totally to God, never refusing him anything. No strings were holding them back. They were ready to meet him.

End Notes

1. Fr. Nil Guillemette, S. J., “Arise, My Love – God Tales for Young and Old”, St. Paul Publications, Makati , Philippines , 1991, Chapter 20, pp. 99-103.

2. I have Fr. Nil's permission to use his stories via his letter to me dated Feb. 10, 2001: "In answer to your letter of Feb. 1, which I received yesterday, I gladly give you permission to use my stories in your bible sharings. However, in order to discourage any illegal pirating from unscrupulous readers, please always add the proper reference (author, publisher, book, pages, etc.). "