What Am I To Say
At a wake or a vigil, ever struggle as to what to say to the grieving family? Many agonize over what they will say. Will my words be appropriate? I do not want to make it worse. What if I say something stupid? There are other times we worry about what to say. For example, a young man about to propose marriage. Or at a job interview. Often people will rehearse different scenarios in their mind for practice. Even for priests as we try to find the right words, we realize there is the homily we prepared, the homily we said, and the homily we wished we would have said.
Today we are told not to worry about what we should say but trust that the spirit will provide the words we are to say. I find that remarkably powerful. For example, I like greeting people as they arrive for mass. And as I catch snippets of their conversations, I suddenly realize the homily I was going to present this day is totally wrong and I change right then. It is more important to listen with your heart and then address the needs of the hearts of the people around you. Trust the spirit. Be humble and walk with God. He knows what is needed.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen