A Surprise Request

by Suzanne Atzinger

The Lord is present and active in our daily lives. This is a story of one example of God’s work in our daily lives by giving simple “nudges” but powerful results if we decide to respond.
In September 2020, I received a random phone call from a special acquaintance, Kay. I was surprised to hear from Kay as we did not have regular contact. Plus, Kay works during the day, so I knew it was important. Kay had a request. A concern and difficulty had arisen in her life, and she asked me to pray. Of course, I said yes. She then went on in an apologetic tone indicating that she knew I was busy and for me to please not make a special trip but could I, if possible, light a candle the next time I was at my church for this special request? Kay said she knew I was Catholic, and she thought that Catholics had the tradition of lighting candles for prayer requests. Well, much to Kay’s surprise I told her I could light that candle immediately because I was sitting right in Saint Andrew’s church parking lot at that very minute of our phone conversation. We both paused for a moment to reflect on how this all came together in God’s exact timing.
I went into Church right away, prayed and lit a candle for Kay’s special intention. I even snapped a photo of the candle and sent it to Kay thinking this visual may bring her some peace. Kay and I later talked a few days later to touch base on the difficult situation in her life. Kay indicated how much it meant to have the candle lit specifically for her prayer intention. She asked if it might be possible for her to call on me again to request a candle be lit for future prayer concerns. I told her that would be fine but simply said, “Why don’t you just come with me next time?” Kay was surprised by my invitation. You see, Kay thought that she had to be Catholic to physically enter the Church. I assured her that she was welcome to come, light a candle and pray at any time. It left a significant impact on me that Kay actually thought she was not allowed to enter a Catholic church. Do others feel this same way?
As the story continues, Kay did indeed come with me to Church to light a candle the next time she and I both had a prayer intention. I remember sitting in the car just prior to meeting Kay there giving myself a pep talk of “what not to do “. You see, I love my Catholic faith so very much and can become rather passionate. But I did not want to overwhelm my friend. I told myself to “stick to the reason we were there”, “light the candles”, “pray” and “leave”. Well, God had other plans!! Not only did Kay immediately start asking questions once we entered the sanctuary, but she started asking question after question! I really could not answer fast enough. And these were not all easy, light questions. Kay asked about the oils, the holy water dispensary, the small pictures on the walls (stations) until eventually we got to the subject of the tabernacle! I remember thinking “Really God, really? You want me to go this far into detail?” His answer must have been yes because the enthusiasm and excitement from Kay was completely delightful. There was no stopping this train. I am not sure of my exact words, but they came easily. And not only did I not overwhelm her as I feared, but Kay was open, accepting, and excited. After lighting our candles for our prayer intentions Kay asked if we could go to the tabernacle, sit, and pray. So, we did. We prayed in silence for a period of time. For me, it was peaceful, calm and I had a feeling that God was reassuring me that he had this planned all along. After we left, Kay indicated that sitting there in silence at the tabernacle her prayers came freely and they kept coming one after another, effortlessly. God is so very good.
After this time, God was not finished. He gave more nudges and Kay and I responded easily. We began to connect and meet first by zoom and then in person about once a week to pray together. This has continued for nearly a year now. And I don’t see any sign of this ending. There is some conversation but most of the time we are together we pray for our intentions and those of our family and friends. The best way to describe this coming together in God’s plan and time is “effortless.” We had no plan whatsoever. It just happened. And our prayers have been answered in amazing ways. Not always exactly what we have in mind but very clear answers……one after another.
And, now when Kay wants to make a visit at Saint Andrew to pray and light a candle ……she comes on her own!! Praise God!
Suzanne Atzinger, August 2021