Ellicott, MD
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The following is a continuation of yesterday’s story which comes to us from team leader Bernie with our team in Ellicott City, Maryland:
About forty minutes later, a woman who had hurried past earlier returned with her family. A compliment about her crocheted hat opened a conversation that became much deeper. Visiting from India, they shared how hurtful racist remarks earlier that day had left them discouraged. We listened and reflected together on Ephesians 5, which calls us to walk in love, and on the Letter of St. James, which reminds us that the tongue can bless or wound. We encouraged them to let God’s light overcome the darkness they had faced. When we prayed together, peace filled the moment. The mother embraced us with tears in her eyes, saying, “Everything will be okay. God is the Highest; He fixes everything.” They walked away smiling, and we felt that God had lifted their hearts and ours as well.
Our final and longest encounter was with a father and son who spoke openly about their struggles with addiction and their hope for renewal. The son, newly released from jail, told how he had fallen to his knees behind bars and found God again. He asked for rosaries and prayer cards for himself and his mother, sharing her name so that we could include her in prayer. His father explained that Sunday Masses and AA meetings were what kept him steady. He also shared how hearing Onward Christian Soldiers one day as he left church had felt like a message straight from God. We prayed with the father first, asking the Lord to strengthen his perseverance. Then, with the son’s permission, one of our members gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and we prayed together as a small circle, lifting father, son, and mother to God’s mercy. The moment was filled with quiet peace and a deep awareness that Christ was truly among us. When we finished, both men said they felt lighter. The son whispered, “God put me here for a reason.” Watching them walk away together, renewed and hopeful, we knew we had witnessed God’s mercy in motion.
As the afternoon came to a close, gratitude filled our hearts. In just two hours we had met people of many different races, creeds and tongues: people from Australia, Asia, India, and our own community, Catholic, Protestant, Methodist, and seekers of every kind. Each encounter reminded us that evangelization is not about eloquence or numbers but about presence, standing where God places us, offering love without condition, and trusting the Lord to work in hearts. When we packed up the table, the air had grown cooler, and a quiet joy lingered over the street. Even the briefest encounters had become seeds of grace. We left that corner grateful, knowing that when you show up for God, He always shows up for you.
Praised be Jesus Christ!