Somerville, NJ
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This report comes to us from station leader Mary Ann with our Somerville-Immaculate Conception parish team in NJ:
“Who are you, and what are you about?” A young man cheerfully questioned Raquel and me. We happily responded, “We’re Catholic and we’re about Jesus and His Gospel. What about you?” This started a beautiful encounter. He said he was Christian, but didn’t need a church. He simply talked to God Himself. His mom was a Catholic. Eyeing the free rosaries, we asked if he’d like one. “I don’t idolize Mary or anyone”, he was quick to respond. We explained that it was Jesus Himself who gave us His Mother while on the Cross, and that she always leads us to her Son. We added that Catholics don’t idolize Mary but honor her as our spiritual Mom and ask for her intercession. We also added that the rosary is the scripture-based story of the lives of Jesus and Mary, which is powerful to meditate on. We spoke to him about the amazing Gift that Jesus gave us at the Last Supper, the Gift of Himself in Holy Communion. We also spoke of Jesus’s words to His Apostles “Go out and proclaim the Gospel to all the world”, thus commissioning His Church. In the end we prayed with him, and he took two rosaries and multiple pamphlets including “Why Be Catholic”.
Later, we spoke to a man who wasn’t practicing his Catholic faith but was anxious to come back. He’d just become a dad, and in his words,” wanted to raise his new son up right”. He listened intently as we spoke of confession and how wonderful the Sacrament is, that it might be scary at first but that he’d be so joyful after going. We also spoke of Holy Communion. He took a rosary and pamphlets on Confession, the Eucharist and the Rosary.
Not long after, we talked with a woman sitting on a bench, who wasn’t very talkative and who didn’t want a rosary or pamphlets. She was having a tough time, so we prayed with her saying that Jesus loves her and died for her, rose from the dead and desires eternal life for her in heaven. After the prayer, her whole demeanor lightened and she smiled and thanked us! She seemed more hopeful.
Finally, we spoke to a man from San Salvador who didn’t have time to pray or go to Church. We spoke and prayed about our need to worship God and to thank Him for all of our blessings, to ask forgiveness for all our sins, and to ask for His guidance everyday of our lives, and that we can say a prayer when we wake in the morning and when we go to bed, a little meal prayer, a little prayer like, “Lord, help me” or “Thank you Lord” or “Lord, I need You”.
Praised be Jesus Christ!