Kimberly

“Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.’” (Matthew 13:9).

Kimberly Hahn

I have been reading about the conversion of a woman, Kimberly Hahn from Presbyterian to Catholic.  She dd not wish to become Catholic.  In fact, she used her reason to resist Catholicism very much.  Her father asked her to mimic the prayer he prayed daily, which was…  “Lord, I will go where you want me to go, I will do what you want me to do, I will say what you want me to say, and I will give up what you want me to give up.”

Kinberly would not (at first) pray that prayer.  She explained that she did not dare pray it.  She was a vocal and learned Presbyterian and had a great aversion to Catholicism.  She expressed those concerns to her father, and he replied, “Kimberly, you do not tell the Lord where you want or do not want to go … If you cannot recite this prayer, then ask God for the grace to say it, until you finally have the strength to say it out loud. Open your heart to him: you can trust Him.”

And for a month, Kimberly prayed that smaller prayer.  For a month, each day Kimberly prayed for the Grace to pray that prayer of surrender…  She put her reason aside for a while and just focused on her faith alone.

And the rest is history – so to speak…

And I have been thinking about the parable of the sower.  You see, that Grace to do the Holy Will of God is not very different from the actions of the sower who planted the seeds in the good soil.  For what better soil is there than the soil of Grace where we have the Grace to hear the Holy Will of God without judgement and without resistance…?

“Jesus said: ‘A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.’” (Matthew 13:1-9).

And I have been thinking about that today as I have been thinking about Kimberly.  For it seems to me that a soul’s entire destiny was turned on the back of Grace.  And all it took was a little persistent effort in praying for such a thing.  And when I stop and think about that today I am quite overcome, because we have a God who loves us so much that He allows us to come to Him in stages – because He knows we cannot do it any other way…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.