Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Lost and found!

Who said that prayer doesn't work? I've just had one answered on my own behalf!

Before I went on holiday, in the interests of foiling any would-be burglars, I decided to avoid hiding money in any of my 'usual' places. I wouldn't need Euros in England, but I'd certainly need them on returning to Rome and, with a public holiday for the feast of the Assumption, any food buying would need to be done immediately on arrival.

Guess what. I'd foiled the burglars, but had also caused problems for myself as I couldn't remember where the 'safe place' was. As I turned everything upside-down after just having tidied up the place, I thought of the parable of the lost coin. Jesus must have seen his mother looking for the occasional drachma that had been misplaced somewhere around the house in Nazareth. He must have heard her sigh of relief when it was found, apparently in exactly the same place she had searched earlier on. He must have heard her call out in pleasure to himself and Joseph, and perhaps to a friend or two, when the missing coin was in her hand once more.

I know how she felt. Next year, when I go away, I will not hide money under winter woollies, especially in the heat of a Roman summer!

Thanks, Lord, for remembering the whereabouts of all those missing items and for pointing them out when we run out of ideas for locating them. Thanks, too, for finding all those people who think they have been lost. They never were lost: you knew exactly where to look for them.

God bless,
Sr. Janet