Take time out for a moment to care.

You will like yourself better.

God will love you more !

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Dear friends:

A few weeks back, we at the office of Administration, who deal and are sensitized to the ministry of trying to help others who at times feel they cannot help themselves, turned to you for intercessory prayer on behalf of a little holy boy whose name is Matthew McGowan of Attleboro, Massachusetts. We asked you to join in our international Legion of Storm Troopers of Prayer for the Sick (cf. rdohealingministry.org).

Little Matthew was one of our concerns among so many from the world who communicate with us as they trust us in this our thirty-year love service to the sick of all peoples, regardless of creed or nationality. Thank God!

Little Matthew knew he was dying. We visited him at his grandmother’s home, and very often we experienced his always happy, bombastic, and enthusiastic spirit whenever --even sick-- he came to our Monastery services in Shrewsbury.

Born of excellent Irish Stock, he always sought to give something good to everyone he met. Amusingly, he came to the Monastery service some many Tuesdays ago. He brought up to the altar to me a little cloth bag. In it were many little pennies and dimes, and a few bills. He said, “Fr. Ralph, this is for your work. You are God’s Little Helper.” But I could not take it. And then emphatically he raised his voice and enunciated very clearly, “ What do you mean you can’t take it? I saved this just for you to work for God and for us sick people. Here ! Take it!” Gosh, what was I to say or do????

We surprisingly, paying attention to his “little great” spirit, said, “OK.”

We never used it. We saved it in its original bag, and we keep it saved in our little Administration Chapel just for him. We will now use it for his memory.

The voices of those gone ahead of us speak to us still.

Let this little fellow speak to all of us. The message is very personal. Just stop for a moment, no matter who you are, and take time to think of who you really are, where you are going, and if what you think is so materialistically important to you has an unruly control of your heart and soul. Yes, who holds the key to your heart? God knows!

Tempus Fugit, we Latins say. Time passes on very rapidly. Have you used your time appropriately? Just realistically think about this. If you know God, not as you know or tailor-make a God of yourself, but as knowing God realistically and objectively, allowing no irrational discipline or otherwise obstacles to interfere with your soul, and then coming to grips with who you really are, then you will know definitively where you are going.

May little Matthew from the portals of heaven pray for us.

May our Blessed dear Lord bless you, and may the protection of Our Holy Mother of Divine Providence care for you.

Sincerely,

Your friend and priest,

Reverend Father Ralph A. DiOrio, Jr.