Sunday, October 26, 2008

A Miracle?

Today's mass at St. Thomas More Catholic Church was said by Monsignor Thomas J. Shelley, who is also an author and professor at Fordham University in New York City. I like him a lot because his homilies are often timely and relevant. Take today's, for example.

I have an old story for you today. A man came to the rectory door one day where he was greeted by a priest. The priest asked the man, "How can I help you?"

The man said, "I am going broke, my business is failing and my wife is about to leave me."

The priest pondered this for a moment and then responded, "I am a priest, I really don't know anything about finances." But, being a priest, he offered some hope. "Open your Bible to any page, at random. Read that page and you will find an answer."

With that suggestion the man thanked the priest and departed.

A couple years later the man returned to the rectory and knocked on the door.

The priest answered the door, "How can I help you."

The man said, "I just came to thank you for the advice you gave me two years ago, it turned my life around."

The priest smiled and responded, "I am very happy for you, but could you remind me what my advice was?"

The man replied, "I told you I was broke, my business was failing and my wife was about to leave me."

The priest nodded.

The man continued, "You said to open the Bible and I would find an answer. I went home and opened my Bible. The first thing I saw was Chapter 11. So I filed for Chapter 11 and now I am once again wealthy, my business is a success and my wife and I have reconciled!"

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