Let Me Know What Happens

New Orleans. Tuesday, November 12, 2019. Evening. Like much of the country, we are experiencing cold. It’s November, it’s expected. It is the first cold spell of the season, and especially tough for those places getting snow and ice that perhaps weren’t prepared. Here in New Orleans, we got down into the 30s, but no snow or ice. But some places did lose power, at least temporarily. Whether that is related to the weather I’m not sure.

This same evening, the neighborhood around Tulane University, including the newly (less than a week) dedicated Chapel of St. Martin de Porres at the Tulane Catholic Center lost power. This same evening, a holy hour was scheduled to begin at 7:00PM in the Chapel. And it began, as scheduled. A couple of emergency lights provided some background glow, but it was basically adoration by candlelight. The student choir sang a cappella between periods of silence.

Personally, I go back and forth regarding adoration in silence or with music. Most often, my holy hour happens in the morning, before Lauds (Morning Prayer). But on Tuesday, Fr. Thomas, aka, FT, the Chaplain at the Tulane Catholic Center invited me to see the Chapel and stay for the Holy Hour. I was out of town helping with a retreat at Florida Tech when the Chapel was dedicated, so this was my first time there since.

I walked into the Chapel before Adoration began and looked around, touched the walls, smelled the altar (you could still smell the chrism) and sat down to pray. It was silent - really silent. No humming noise or static or white noise from light fixtures inside or outside and no noise from the HVAC system. Once Adoration started the student choir sang some songs a cappella. A cappella meaning with musical instruments accompanying the people, but a cappella literally means, “in the manner of the chapel” or we might say “chapel style.” This thought didn’t hit me until my drive home.

Being in the Chapel in Adoration, especially at the end of the day, was like a nudge from Christ telling me not to worry or stress or agonize about all the things that day. This was especially pertinent when the choir invited everyone present to participate in the Litany of Trust.

Trust here is a belief in the truth of Christ, but also in the strength of Christ, and the reliability of Christ. I would venture to say that all of us doubt every now and then. Perhaps we get discouraged or pessimistic or even crushed. But somehow, Christ makes himself known to us. And I would add that if we begin to trust, even if just a little, that is, if we start to say yes to God or to the invitations that he sends our way, we will see him working in our lives more and more. If you want something to do this week, pray the Litany of Trust, and say yes to that invitation to something extra in your faith life. And let me know what happens.