It was a most beautiful evening with friends, food, and faith!
Members of the Altar Society of our church finally gathered for dinner last night, Nov. 17. It was a planned event that has seen innumerable postponements. Thanksgiving and Christmas were coming up, so there's more reason for the get together. The chairperson was also celebrating her 50th on Christmas Day, so we incorporated a small advance birthday surprise for her as well.
I felt the warmth and excitement as soon as we saw our co-cleaners and new members to the group. As we started the feast for our tastebuds and tummies, stories of how God manifested himself to us while cleaning the church poured out. Sheepishly for some, while bold and emphatic for others. It was a unanimous feeling that these personal revelations weren't casually shared because of people's general disinterest in these stories or maybe, an aversion to being called crazy. It's not easy to start conversations that are spiritual in nature since there are a gazillion more stories that are purely entertaining. Just look at YouTube shorts.
One of the conclusions I seem to have arrived at was that the church, being God's house, is probably one of the best places where His presence could be felt. Someone shared that she saw Jesus in the crucifix at the altar grow as she was cleaning. Another felt the presence of God also while fulfilling her duty. A parishioner shared seeing clouds come down to the altar while spending time at church. Then, there's the Holy Spirit as a gentle wind blowing inside the church when all doors were closed. So many more stories were shared. We all felt warmed and inspired in our hearts. I didn't want the evening to end, but as the saying goes, "All good things come to an end." And quicker than we'd like.
Now that you know the secret, maybe you might consider joining this ministry for some long lasting inspiration and heartfelt joy as you might just feel, hear, and even see God's presence in his house.
God bless everyone!
PS As we were leaving, Miriam asked me if this was the same restaurant I had my 50th celebration. Only then did I realize that it was! It's something I had totally forgotten! What a beautiful coincidence!
My name's Anna Maria, and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog touchedbygrace.today every week! Friday! Check out Catholicmom.com for my other articles! If you've been #tbgtoday, feel free to share your story of grace here.
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