“My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20)

Imagine for a moment that you’re in Heaven – safely home in HIS infinite love. You’re in a meadow, the beauty of which is so intense that even your glorified senses seem overwhelmed by the torrents of delight streaming through them. Suddenly, you see walking towards you a person you hardly knew on earth.

As this person comes closer to you, you can see that he is shaking almost relentlessly in what can only be described as a veritable excess of holy joy and profound gratitude. He hugs you – never before have you been hugged like that! You feel as if this person will never let you go. Finally, when he does let go, he says, “Don’t you remember me. You gave me that CD on confession one day at work. I hadn’t been to confession in fifteen years, and I really had no desire to listen to the disk, but one day on the way home from work I listened to it – and my life was changed! I went to confession that same weekend, poured out my heart to the priest, and now I’m here in Heaven, saved, truly saved, forever! How can I ever thank you enough!”

You give this man a hug. Tears start to roll down your face. You can hardly even remember giving this guy the CD. You lift your heart to the Heavenly Father in gratitude and thank Him for the very small part he let you play in the salvation of one of God’s blessed and precious souls.

Who can fathom the value of helping to lead a soul to saving grace? Such an act will echo down the halls of eternity with the sound of sweet joy – a pleasant memory of a good deed that will ring true forever.

Tom Mulcahy

Inspiration: The tone and content of this note relies heavily on F.W. Faber’s writings;  and James 5:20. Book recommendation: The Creator and the Creature by Fr. Faber.

 

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