I was talking to a friend after Mass yesterday and he was telling me that when he drives through neighborhoods he frequently wonders what kind of stories the people inside the houses have. We both surmised that there is often pain and loneliness contained within many walls. I find this confirmed when I go door-to-door evangelizing for my parish. As I mentioned last week, this past Saturday a group from my parish went to a local neighborhood to invite people to visit our church.

Here are just two encounters I had:

- I met an older woman at her mailbox who goes to a local “mega-church.” After talking with her for a bit, I asked her if there was anything we could pray for. She paused, and then started crying. She told me that her husband died this past Palm Sunday. I prayed with her right there on the street and encouraged her to remember the Lord’s resurrection. I ask that you pray for her as well.

- Another woman I met had just moved to the area a few days ago. She told me that she “used to be Catholic,” which she said without any animosity. We ended up talking for quite some time, and she asked me in to pray in her new house. I encouraged her to visit our parish sometime or just to contact us if she had any questions or needs.

Other teams also had encouraging encounters with people who “used to be Catholic” and seemed to be sincerely interested in returning. We are having an “inquiry meeting” tomorrow night at our parish, and I’m praying that some of the people we met this weekend will come.

St. Paul, pray for us!

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