Tuesday, August 26, 2008

God in the whisper

This blog is devoted to Pier Giorgio and I usually don't get personal, but I had a bit of an Elijah moment today that I hope is worth sharing. One of my favorite scenes in the Bible takes place in 1 Kings 19 when Elijah is on the mountain waiting for the Lord to pass by. He doesn't come in the wind or the earthquake or the fire but in the tiny whisper. This is often how I encounter God; although, I admit that, because of my spiritual deafness, I can have difficulty hearing that whisper from time to time.

Working toward the canonization of Pier Giorgio has sometimes called for more energy and resources than I have felt I could provide. Like Elijah, I have known my times of discouragement. And there are those moments when I stop and wonder if all of the sacrifices are worthwhile and ask how long can I continue? But tonight, I heard that tiny whisper.

It came in the voice of my niece Stephanie who is a senior in high school in Pennsylvania. She is also my godchild. Recently, she was asked to sing at the 100th anniversary of a local church and she covered the Joy Williams song, "Do They See Jesus in Me?" As I watched the YouTube clip, I was again able to put a face to one of the reasons why I work for this cause. It is because Pier Giorgio has so much to offer, especially to the young people among whom I count my 28 nieces and nephews, that I do this work. Stephie was one of the first people to join The Pact and is a great example of the revolution of charity FrassatiUSA is working toward creating. Not only that, but the lyrics of the song she sang pretty much sum up everything I am about.

Yesterday I saw a rainbow. Today I heard a whisper. I can hardly wait for tomorrow. Verso l'alto!

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