saint of the week

October 16

 

When I was pregnant with my now 9 year old daughter, Casey, I was subjected to the usual battery of prenatal testing.  I really thought nothing of it.  I thought that it was a huge waste of time.  I was working full time and had an 18 month old.  At one visit the doctor, after flipping through a few pages of paperwork looked up at me and said that it appears as though there is a high risk that your child may have Down's syndrome.  We'd like to do some further testing to confirm.  Then you can decide if you want to continue this pregnancy.  Without a moment's hesitation, I replied that I did not want further testing.  It just didn't matter to me.

 

Later that evening my husband and I were having dinner.  We talked about this, and agreed.  It did not matter.  If God sent us a child with Down's syndrome, then he must have enough faith in us to raise the child.  I prayed that God's will be done.  Later that year, my daughter was born.  It was a very difficult and long delivery that produced my 11 pound perfectly, perfect daughter. 

 

Today is the feast day of St. Gerard Majella.  He always had complete trust in God.  When he was only 12 years old he had to leave school and go to work.  He had many hardships in his life, but always trusted God to take of him. . . and He did.  Once when he was working as a houseboy, he accidentally dropped the key to the house down a deep well.  This was a huge problem, but Gerard thought of a fairly simple solution.  He got a rope and tied a stature of the infant Jesus to the end.  He lowered the statue in to the well.  He said a prayer and asked God to help him.  When he pulled up the rope, the statue was holding the key.

 

October is Respect Life Month.  Whether it is the unborn children, elderly, or the inmate on death row. . . Big problems have simple solutions when we trust God.