Gratitude

So I went to bed at 4:30am. Prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet to seal in my application, and barely stayed awake long enough to ask for the intercession of John Paul II and Mother Teresa. I was fried.

But Zainab started text messaging me again from Dubai (they don't sleep there) at 8am, saying she was passing a Maserati dealership... and the Lord used her to get me to 9am Mass. I needed to go and thank God for getting me through this process.

This is the Psalm they read today - the last verse is perfect - it was the disaster I went through as a missionary in Switzerland in '99-2000 which taught me that the widow, the orphan and the alien are the objects of God's special care and justice.

Psalm 68:2-7

R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

God arises; his enemies are scattered,
and those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so are they driven;
as wax melts before the fire.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

But the just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

Friends called and invited me to an impromptu family BBQ tonight. So I'll get my wine, with strong-drinking Catholics, balanced out with a good heavy burger. :)

In the meantime, some beautiful emails and prayers are coming in to celebrate and support my application's progress... One Swiss woman has prayed for two straight years for me to come back to Geneva, even though she's only met me once. Bless her heart.

"Ask Me anything in My Name, and I will do it."