A Message from the Director of the Catholic Conference Center:
Early each morning I go outside to pray. Last week just as I settled in my chair it started raining. A little annoyed, I turned around to go back inside. On my way, I looked up and saw a rainbow in the sky. The next morning, it happened again the same way – settled in the chair, then the rain, and then a second rainbow in the sky. God was certainly trying to tell me something.
A little slow on interpreting the signs, I noticed a two other things on my way back to the house. One was a tiny Japanese Maple bursting with new growth. In March, the tree appeared dead. Right after I cut it down, I notice a tiny red shoot about an inch from the base, so I left the stump in place, which is now bushy with new life.
The other was a hydrangea I had tried to root in February, but the rooting was too small. I had given up on it, and let the weeds overtake the area. That morning, I not only saw the hydrangea growing beneath the weeds, but blooming as well.
The message was coming through loud and clear: I could focus on the rain, the dead tree, or the patch of weeds. Or I could focus on the little signs of hope God is placing in my path: a bow in the sky, a lively new Japanese maple, and a flowering hydrangea.
At the Catholic Conference Center, we’re still fielding cancellations and rescheduling events months into the future. Like most people trying to navigate through this crazy new world, it’s been a hard four months. The next four months look to be equally challenging.
I think God’s message is the same. Look for the little signs of hope, and marvel at what you see.
At the center, the little signs were all over. A couple of weeks ago the center became the place where two friends met for a weekend to renew their friendship; another couple came to deepen their relationship; a woman spent the night and rediscovered her joy of writing poetry; and countless other people have come to connect with God in nature on the trails. We had fifty sign up for our first ever Sunday Fun-day Brunch!
I suspect you also might have had a few moments of desolation during these last four months. I encourage you to look beyond each point of despair for those little signs of hope that God is placing in your path.
Your servant in Christ,
Deacon Scott D. Gilfillan
Director, Catholic Conference Center