One of the great things about going out and publicly practicing your faith is that you never know who you will meet. I received the following report from someone who was participating in our local 40 Days for Life ^[1] campaign:

There were the five of us [there] from our church. Poured rain, cold but well worth it. Father led us in 3 complete rosary’s.

Lots of folks honked as they went by, not sure if that was in agreement or since it was dark we did not see the universal hand gesture.

Another car pulled over and dropped off eight cups of coffee from McDonalds. Thanked us for what we were doing.

Another guy pulled over and asked if we were collecting money, said he agreed with us, asked how long we were doing this for, so I told him 40 days. Then he proceeded to tell me that he has given up smoking pot for lent. That made my day.

I love this story. Many people disparage Lent, saying it is a relic of an earlier era when Catholics beat themselves up and were too negative. Or it is a “tradition of men” that is too ritualistic. But Lent is a time the Church gives us for purging ourselves from those bad habits which keep us from God. This man who gave up smoking pot for Lent has made a real step in the direction of our Lord, and we know from the Parable of the Prodigal Son that whenever we take a small step to the Father, He runs towards us to embrace us in love. I’m sure that this man’s sacrifice will be honored by the Lord.

Let us be sure to pray for all those who are trying to draw closer to God in some way this Lent.