Living Monstrance

Question: What do you do when your car’s gas tank is registering empty?  I think I know what you do - you drive it to a gas station.  You then probably slide your credit card at the pump, place the nozzle into the gas tank, and start to fill up.  I bet that while you do this, your eyes begin to bulge, your heart sinks, and your mind becomes paralyzed as the numbers next to the little dollar sign zip by like never before.  Right now, it costs a lot of money to fill up.

What does a disciple do when his interior gas tank is empty?

A little story …

A month or so ago, my mother had some serious pain symptoms, and after doing some testing, the doctors found that her cancer had returned in a serious way.  As the testing continued and the doctors were narrowing down their understanding, my mother’s condition declined very quickly.  My brother flew home from work in Florida, and we began to care for her full-time, 24-7.  Now, she had also been the primary caregiver for my father, and so as she faded, we also had to look out for Dad, too.

It was exhausting.  A full week going full-steam, losing sleep, with signs of death, small emergencies, and a crash course in home health care-giving.  By 4:30 Sunday, my mother was in tough shape, and I was completely wiped.  It was a very dark hour.  Then, I checked my voicemail.

It was a priest friend of mine.  I had committed to bringing Holy Communion to patients in nursing homes in his parish.  “Hi, Jerome, I hope we’re still on for the nursing homes today.  I’m hoping you can stop by before 5:30.”

I thought, “OK, Lord, You have to cover for me.”

So I went.

When I arrived in the church sacristy, I found a list of 35 patients.  “Now, You really have to cover for me.”

Well, I got to the nursing home and started to make rounds, offering prayer and the Lord in Communion.  I met some inspiring people, and I saw the goodness come out of so many.  I saw the Lord and His precious ones in union.

You know what, it seemed impossible at the beginning, but I did it.  And by the time I was done, I was a new man.  I was perked back up and filled with energy.  I had started on empty and I had finished filled up.  But I didn’t fill up - I poured out.

When the apostles returned from their biggest preaching mission, and after John the Baptist was beheaded, the Lord and His apostles were drained and running on empty.  “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.” (Mk 6:30)  And when a hungry crowd still came, the Lord told the apostles, “You give them something to eat.” (Mk 6:37)  I bet the apostles were thinking, “Give?  We’re empty ourselves.  We have five loaves and two fish.  We need to fill up ourselves!”

But they did it.  They poured out to everyone when they were empty, and on top of that, they finished full: “And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of fish.”  (Mk 6:43)

When you are with the Lord, you are never empty.  Whenever you are with the Lord and you feel empty, remember:

Don’t fill up.

Pour out.