As I boarded the plane at Chicago O’Hare airport last July, my apostolic heart was excited to see who God’s providence would place next to me for the two-hour flight.
As I made my way down the aisle, I saw a young man with a Chicago Blackhawk’s hat, a beard, and a big tattoo on his right arm. After reading about all the violence in the south side of Chicago, my first judgment was that he would not be receptive to the gospel.
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Yet within a few minutes of sitting down next to him, I noticed he was lining up his phone to get himself in a selfie with me in the background. So, feeling nudged on by the Holy Spirit — I began a conversation.
He started by telling me he was raised Catholic, but had wandered off the path a bit over the years. He took the selfie to send to his mom, he said, adding, “I thought she would love the fact that I was sitting next to a Catholic priest. She’s a devout Catholic.”
After sharing some of the details of his marketing career in Chicago, he began telling me about his real passion. He spends nearly all of his free time, often very late at night, he said, doing “inspirational” street painting (with chalk) in major cities like Chicago, New York City and San Francisco. He even leaves free canvas paintings all over town that have a message focused on loving and caring about others.
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In addition, he has made tens of thousands of magnets that read, “LOVE MORE THAN EVER,” as a means to combat the political and social division he perceives is tearing apart our country right now. (If you live in the above-mentioned cities, you will probably see this sticker on subways, street lamps and garbage cans.)
Boy, was I glad to have resisted my “first impression” and shut down into myself during that flight.
Over the past year, I developed a friendship with another man, James, who is homeless and lives in the Lexington Avenue passage in Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. James is in his mid 70s, is an extremely positive and upbeat guy, and always leaves me with a kind word of encouragement.
He is usually sitting on the ground next to his suitcase when I approach him, and when he sees me from a distance, he stands up with a smile, looks me in the eye, and gives me one of the firmest handshakes I have ever felt to this day.
James will often say, “Fr. Michael, I am grateful to be alive today. I will try to live this day in the best way possible. You need to keep on going until the good Lord decides to take you.” He appreciates prayers and blessings, and I consider James to be a huge blessing for my regular priestly ministry in New York.
During my days in Washington, D.C., I was very grateful to an owner at a Grease Monkey in Frederick, Maryland, who would offer a free oil change and other maintenance services for priests. Besides his efficient service and kindly demeanor, this particular owner went out of his way to hire former convicts to work in the oil pit.
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He felt that these guys would have a really difficult time finding a job after getting out of jail, so he gave them a chance and used this opportunity to personally mentor them.
One time when I was just about to leave, one of these former convicts rushed out of the garage and said, “Reverend, I noticed that beautiful image of our Blessed Mother in your car. Do you have an extra one? I am a man of faith as well.” He had a big, semi-toothless smile on his face and a kick in his step, and this second chance at Grease Monkey had clearly given him renewed hope.
“Let us look in the mirror before judging.”
I could fill pages and pages with stories like these — and the takeaway for me is, Never judge a book by its cover, especially when it comes to real people God may place in your life.
Pope Francis reminds us, “Let us think today about what the Lord says to us: Do not judge, lest you be judged; the measure by which we judge will be the same that will be used for us; and, third, let us look in the mirror before judging.”
Life is too short. Don’t waste your time placing people in boxes and avoiding contact. You simply never know what God might have in store for you.
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