the three things I am going to ask you to do even if it makes you want to throw up a little.

Nothing screams, "Return to the Lord" louder, than this crazy pandemic we can't seem to get ahead of. This, I know. This, since you are here, you too, most likely know. And so for those of us who have already bought into Jesus, the extra, unlimited time on our hands that we are now presented with, is like a gift! It is free time to pray more, sacrifice more, give more, sit in the silence before God more. And as awful as this virus is, the opportunity it presents the Christ follower with, is like a Lenten dream come true! Bring on the sack cloth and ashes, I have got no where to go today, Jesus!

But what about the rest of us?

What about those dear friends we have, who have not bought into Jesus?

What about those sweet people we know and see losing their minds, diving head first into fear, because extra time on their hands and nowhere to run, is nothing more than an invitation to more hours of worry?

Who are these people?

These are our brothers and sisters who believe in God, but have yet to personally encounter Him.

These are our brothers and sisters who don't go to Mass on Sundays, but take your spot in the pew on Easter morning.

These are our brothers and sisters who have had a negative experience with their Parish, Pastor, Director of Religious Education, or that one grumpy old lady who scolded their two year old for talking in Mass, and in forgetting (or not knowing) that all people are sinners, and Priests are not God, and JESUS IS PRESENT IN THE EUCHARIST, made the decision to leave the Catholic Church.

These are our brothers and sisters, who despite their issues with the Catholic Church's teachings, faithfully drop their kids off at Religious Education each and every week.

These are our brothers and sisters who are grateful that we take their teen to Church and Youth Group with our own family, because while they are not church goers themselves, they recognize the good it is for their children.

These are the friends who text you, "I have such and such problem, or my mom is sick, or I am really scared I will lose my job, or my child is in trouble, or my husband's health is not good...will YOU please pray?" These are the ones who go to YOU for prayer, who know YOU know Jesus, and who are desperate for an answer to prayer but don't trust that God will hear them. These are God's beautiful sons and daughters who do not ask us to pray in addition to their praying, but who ask US to pray, because they do not know how.

We all have these friends. They are often the most generous, kind hearted, well meaning, loving people we know. And when they come to us to pray on their behalf, of course, without hesitation, we get on it! We bring their concerns straight to Jesus. We place them under the protection of our Lady's mantle. We assure them that we have got them covered. But yesterday, after receiving a beautiful hand written card in the mail from a sister in Christ, as I read the familiar Scripture verse she included on the inside of the card, something inside of me lit up....and not a small flicker, but more like a wild fire...an actual stirring of the heart took place. Then, tears followed. This was the verse:

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come to pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord..." -Jeremiah 29:11-14

You don't need to be a Biblical scholar to have at least heard the first few verses of this Scripture. You might even have it written on that cute coffee mug you purchased at TJ Maxx for $4.99 in the clearance aisle, along with that giant gnome you bought at Christmas time because it looked cute in the store, but terrifying in your home. But for no other reason than the presence of the Holy Spirit being alive and moving and up to something...this time, this verse struck me in a new way. And it wasn't about the good plans or the no harm promised...although I'll take both of those, Jesus, thank you very much. It was this:

Then when YOU call upon me and come to pray to me, I will hear YOU.

When YOU search for me, YOU will find me;

if YOU seek me with all YOUR heart,

I will let YOU find me, says the Lord...

Suddenly, faces of friends who are far from the Lord, but come to me for prayer, flashed before my eyes. And the Lord's voice, which was not really even a voice, I won't lie, but looking back I am certain it was all His idea...what I "heard" the Lord speak to my heart was this:

"the next time someone asks you to pray to me for them, please...tell them they can come to me themselves. Tell them...I have been waiting for THEM. I want to answer THEM." And then, just to make life as a Catholic woman a little more uncomfortable than it already is, He had to go and add...."YOU SHOW THEM HOW."

And so this is our mission, sweet friends. Yes, I said "our mission." What? You didn't think I was going to do this on my own, did you? I want us to think about one person we know, who does not know Jesus. One person who comes to us to pray on their behalf. One person who you know needs them some Jesus, but they have no idea where to begin, and you are too afraid of looking like a creepy, holy, weirdo, to even approach them about a relationship with God, and so you just keep on letting them talk about their mindfulness exercises, or yoga class, or that amazing life coach who is teaching them all about self-love...and you nod and agree and stay silent. All for the sake of not feeling uncomfortable, you keep to yourself what you know can help them. All for the sake of not offending them, you keep to yourself what you know they are seeking. All for the sake of keeping things light on the on surface, you keep them from deepening their relationship with God. And by you, I mean me, too.

And then...pray for them.

And then...pray for yourself, too.

Because tomorrow, we are going to talk about the three things you will share with this friend, the next time they ask you to pray on their behalf. Yup. It is time to speak up, sweet sister. I know...that makes you want to throw up a little. That's okay. I will be throwing up a little with you.

Now go...get on it. Get out your TJ Maxx mug, pour another cup of coffee, sit next to that ridiculous gnome you thought was a good idea (better yet, put him in storage) and start praying.

It is time that we ALL return to the Lord, seeing to it that nobody...not even the friend you are convinced will roll her eyes at you or worse, make fun of you...misses out on the grace of God.

I mean, honestly...what else is there to do with all this free time?