No Coincidence

Sometimes I believe God really wants to make evident to us that, in fact, God is with us, really!

Wednesday, we celebrated a special Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Lincoln Heights in Los Angeles, to honor the 100th Birthday of the founder of Mission Doctors and Lay Mission-Helpers Association, Msgr. Anthony Brouwers.  He died nearly 50 years ago, but the legacy of his work is our work.

The reason for the location was, this was his parish, this was his school.

Msgr. Michael Meyers, who served in Mission Office and was one of his successors as the director of the Propagation of the Faith for 16 years, was our celebrant.  Before the Mass began, as he walked up the steps of the Church with his with Kente cloth vestments in hand, he asked me if I had seen the readings for the day.  Yes I had I said, and smiled as he explained to another veteran Lay Mission-Helper that the daily reading, nothing special for today, but today’s first reading was from  1 Cor 3:1-9   

…Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God, who causes the growth.
He who plants and he who waters are one,
and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.
For we are God's co-workers;

The ‘For we are God’s co-workers’ in another translation reads ‘For we are God’s Helpers’ and this is what is inscribed on the rings of all long-term Lay Mission-Helpers and Mission Doctors. 

In Msgr. Meyers’ homily he asked to see Addie Coronado’s ring -- Addie served three terms in Kenya having been in one of the early classes, going out first in 1957.  The words are no longer visible her ring because, as Msgr. Meyers said, Addie has been God’s helper for a long time.

I thank God today for the reminder that although we didn’t plant, that was the job of Msgr. Anthony Brouwers who planted the seed that has grown into the Lay Mission-Helpers and Mission Doctors -  we may be the ones who water, and we count on God for the growth because we believe;  We are God’s Helpers!