Days Well Spent

As we reflected on our time this week at the West Virginia Children’s Home, there was a strong sense of satisfaction at days well spent.  

First, there was the work we accomplished. In just a few days, we repainted most of the ground level of the home, including a large atrium, two long corridors, two additional rooms and a hallway. We all worked hard from start to finish, motivated by a desire to make more pleasant the space in which the children and employees live and work. When we finished, it was gratifying to see the bright, clean look of the place and know that those who inhabit it will benefit. 

Second, there were the connections we formed. Even though our time with them was brief, we all formed real bonds with the kids who live at the home. In eating lunch together, playing sports, and talking, our hearts were quickly opened to them, and they were excited to have visitors interested in spending time with them. 

The Psalmist writes, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (Ps 34:19). Though these kids do generally come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, they are well taken care of at the home. Their real poverty lies in desperate family situations, patterns of destructive behavior, and various other matters of the heart: serious adult problems that weigh heavily on young teenagers. It was our privilege to serve, in a small way, as instruments for the Lord to show them He is close. For us, this closeness was a foretaste of the spiritual fatherhood intrinsic to the vocation we are pursuing. We pray that through experiences like this one, Jesus opens our hearts to one day share in His Priesthood and its manifestation of God the Father’s love for a broken world. 

Finally, there was the fraternity we shared. Although we all live together as seminarians, in a house of fifty, it’s not possible to know everyone at a deep level. Because of the smaller size of this trip’s group, we were able to grow closer with each other in a way that would not have otherwise happened. In addition to praying, eating, and working together, we gathered in the evenings to reflect on the day and to hear each man tell the story of his journey to the seminary. Believe it or not, we don’t often have the chance to hear in detail everyone’s vocation story. Despite vast differences in background, age, and circumstances, there were common elements in the invitation of God and our responses to it. Following God’s call to work together for His kingdom together in this place showed us the extent to which we are brothers in this common vocation.

We lift up these days in gratitude to God for the many graces we received and ask that through the prayers of Our Lady, they may bear fruit on behalf of those we served.