Dispatches from Fr. Charitas de la Cruz
Friday, May 4, 2018

A cormorant has his wings outstretched, drying his feathers in the wind. This is not a time for flying, but a time for getting ready to fly. And the flying is for the purpose of fishing and the fishing requires getting his feathers wet. The rhythm of devotion and servanthood is much like what is required of the cormorant. Readying for the work and then plunging in, recovering from the work to ready to plunge in once more.

When I first began pastoral ministry, I nurtured the habit of pausing to pray before I entered a home, a hospital room or a nursing home room. I paused to quiet my soul so that I might be ready to listen; I paused to clear my vision so that I might be ready to see. No, not a prayer for the person, but a prayer for me. During the visit we usually prayed, but always as I left through that door through which I entered I whispered one more prayer for them. This became the rhythm of my pastoral service. It kept me in tune; it kept me spontaneous; it kept me refreshed; and in a certain way, kept me human but still Divinely graced.

This has continued to be an aspect of my prayerfulness … I pray when I come to a door. First to get ready to plunge into a pastoral moment; second, to remember the moment that was.

In His Service always,
Fr. Charitas de la Cruz