And so it happened…Moving
“The Catholic faith is not reducible to a moral theory, or social activism, or an even an intellectual system; it is a life of complete cooperation with a person — Jesus Christ. It is this life with Christ that defines the Christian and involves his or her entire life. This proposal is for a place of prayer, evangelization, Christian formation and service for the Diocese. This would be a center for forming persons committed to advancing respect for both human life and human dignity by prayer, word and deed and for giving witness to the Gospel.”
Such were the words that got the ball rolling.
My husband had been unhappy with his job in Chicago for several years. But like any good responsible husband, he was not about to quit because he found his job unpleasant. Who says providing for one’s family should be without its hardships? Speaking to some colleagues, he was directed to speak to a certain bishop who might possibly be interested in his ideas. What came out of this was beyond our wildest dreams.
God never gives you more than you can handle; and it is true that when things get to be too much, He provides a way out.
Two months ago, on the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Nick drove down to Missouri to meet the bishop and to talk about evangelization. The kids and I had renewed our efforts to attend daily mass and pray for our personal vocation. The main prayer of my heart was that God would give Nick a way out of his former job situation, as well as a way to use his talents that seemed underused in that position. I remembered how happy he was on the farm and wished for a return to that life.
Every time the kids and I were successful going to daily mass (meaning against all odds of last minute diaper blow-outs, squabbles and meltdown amongst the younger children, and insistent toddlers insisting they did not need to hold my hand on the way to church, only to fall down and end up with a skinned knee which would further sabotage our chances of getting to mass that day), the mass readings centered around detachment to the things of this world and being open to a new kind of life.
The morning after I argued with Nick about how safe our community was, we found gang graffiti, for the first time, on our neighbors’ garages in the alley. Later that week, I spoke of how I did not want to move away from Chicago, my parents, and my “home”. The next day, I heard this reading at mass: ”Whoever is not willing to leave mother, father, sister or brother for the sake of my kingdom is not worthy to follow me”
And later that week, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”
As for the pull on my conscience to do more to help the less fortunate, the Gospel for that day was, “And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Just a few months ago, I was firmly attached to my current life. After hearing these readings, I felt I could go anywhere.
February was a time of waiting to hear back about various job options. One of them was in West Virginia, another was downstate Illinois, and last but not least, the final one was near Springfield, Missouri. At times, it seemed nothing would come through for Nick, and we resigned ourselves to staying in Chicago, with him continuing to work downtown, but we both quietly hoped there would be a change for us in the future.
One day, as I was homeschooling the children, I suddenly felt the need to stop and pray. I took a fifteen minute break while the girls were working on their schoolwork, and called the Poor Clares of Rockford, and the Missionaries of Charity of Chicago with my prayer intention: “Would one of the sisters please take upon herself the prayer intention of giving Nick some clarity on the job situation.” I hung up the phone, knowing that something was going to happen. Five hours later, Bishop Johnston called Nick and offered him a position!
So fast forward to today, everything has worked out. In our Christmas 2010 letter, we asked our friends and family to pray for us, as we felt we were being led back to the farm, or at least to a life where it is easier to be good. The property that we get to live on has worked out (it is a 100+ acre farm called Trinity Hills). It is a beautiful, peaceful, serene place. I am in awe of what has happened to us, and I am humbled by this great responsibility to further the New Evangelization. All is packed and we are living out of boxes, eagerly waiting for the date when we get to go “back to the farm”.
