It wasn’t too long ago when I was very upset at my Church. There were some problems going on that I felt were handled poorly and my favorite priest was going to pay the price (at least that is what it looked like.) This particular weekend, we got to hear some bad news.
I do volunteer work with the Respect Life Ministry and that weekend I had to be at every Mass helping with the information table. Driving to the Church to be at the first Mass I was fuming, thinking that I had had enough. I was thinking that I was going to just leave the ministry and quite possibly the Church. The reason I was at every Mass was because we couldn’t get enough volunteers, why should I put myself through this when no one cares anyway?
I passed up the usual area that I park in and just kept driving. I had no idea why, but I went to a section of the parking lot that I have never parked in before. I even parked in a spot that didn’t have any cars near it. Still fuming, I turned off the car and just sat there. I wondered if I should just leave. Then I told myself that I had committed to this, so I will at least stay for one Mass and then tell them I was leaving. As I opened the car door and got out, I stepped on something. I looked down and saw that I was stepping on a wire coat hanger. Looking around, there was another coat hanger on the ground. I had no choice but to laugh.
For those that don’t know, the Pro-choice movement use coat hangers as a "symbol" of what women would resort to if abortion became illegal. I got the message. It isn’t the Church or the ministry that I need to direct my anger at. It’s the coat hangers and what they symbolize – Decades of Lies that have degraded women to nothing more than just sex toys.
I still don’t know why I parked where I did. The only explanation is that I was guided there so I could get my feelings in order. I stomped on those two hangers a couple time to direct my energy to the right place. And if I had left, I would never have known that things would be righted in the days to follow.
This post was submitted by valerie jane.
wow, what a story Val.
Now, the priests should say during the mass that volunteers are needed to help with the ministry!!  I would ask them to mention something during the mass so you can get some help.
Jasper -
We do have the priests announce it. We just can’t get people to commit. It is sooooooo frustrating.
Thanks for commenting Jasper.
This is God talking… Valerie listened… What is your story Jasper? Big or small, it doesn’t matter. Just that it is yours.
Hey Val,
I feel your pain. I am the lector coordinator for our parish. For regular Sunday Masses I create a schedule, but for Holy Days, as well as Christmas, the Triduum and Easter I like to accomodate the fact that not everyone attends their “regular” Mass time and so I ask for volunteers. Fifty lectors serve our community, and yet the past two years I have had to beat them out of the wood work to get the Masses covered. It used to be we would have more volunteers than we had spots for. I’m not sure what the problem is, but it all started aound the time we got a new pastor. Coincidence? Anyway, good luck with your very important work. I will pray that God sends you some very commited hearts and hands to help you!