“God’s love for those who have never experienced it.” – Fr. William May’s, CSB Reflection On St. Oscar Romero – Toronto, ON

In my earliest memories, going to church at the United Methodist Church in Livonia, New York I heard the question, “What do you want God finding you doing when He calls you home?”  Depending on the tone of voice in which that was delivered that phrase could either be scary, guilt inducing, threatening or hopeful, joyful, challenging.

Blessedly my parents’ tones always promised the latter.

From 1977 to 1984 I became a Roman Catholic, and early on in that conversion process Archbishop Oscar Romero was a topic of energetic conversations between the Catholics with whom I was interacting.

Some claimed sanctity some claimed foolishness, and some claimed neither. The last group, claiming neither sanctity nor foolishness for the archbishop, seemed to be experiencing a quiet, awed, respect for him as one who probably knew he was going to be killed sometime for his priestly work but continued doing the work anyway.

God found him saying Mass, God found him being about his work as a priest for the poor and oppressed within a specific time and place and people, and in the office of archbishop.

The Gospel that 24 ^th of March 1980 was John 12.23-26, that mysterious hopeful discourse about a grain of wheat needing to die in order to be reaped as a great yield.

The grain is never asked where it would like to be planted and reaped, we as humans are never asked where we would like to be born, we as Christians are expected to be about the continuing work of Christ wherever we find ourselves in space and time, and in whatever role we are in.

Saint Oscar Romero gives an example of how to be busy about the business of God’s love for those who don’t know what God’s love is because they’ve never experienced it.  That’s what I hope God finds me and you doing when He calls us home.

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