Even in obscurity we can help

The story goes that many years ago there was a priest who lived in the Australian high country. Every morning at 6.30am he would say Mass but nobody came. The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into years. And still, nobody came.

He consoled himself to this disappointment by believing that he was doing something beneficial by praying for all those in need and less fortunate, not only in his own parish, but throughout the world. He prayed for them every morning.

As time went by, he found that in his prayers, he had begun to pray that someone would come to Mass. It was not that his focus has strayed from praying for the less fortunate, but that he longed for someone to join him in his prayers.

Then one day as he was saying Mass, he heard the door to the church open behind him. Then he heard strong purposfull steps making their way down through the church until finally he felt a hand on his shoulder. As he turned, he heard a voice say:.

"Father, can I borrow your mower ?".

Luckily the priest had kept the mower in good shape and was able to help.

Is there a moral to this story, who knows, but it is fair to say that even in obscurity we can offer help when least expected.


Cheers