I serve part-time as a Security Guard at our local Catholic Hospital which is an honor. In times past I've dealt with Meth users, gun shot victims, and your usual day to day encounters with just about anything you can imagine.
As I sat down to complete paperwork, I received a phone call to come down to the Womens clinic because there was a disturbance taking place.
I was initially told that the person making the ruckus was asking for someone to pray with them.
I was more than happy to respond to this call and when I arrived there, the individual was in a room waiting for me.
The individual was a rough looking, very loud acting person who grabs your attention very quickly. It was no wonder that the nurses would call for me.
I sat down opposite from him and simply listened to him. He called himself "the Columbian Lord of Waco".
He was a 23 year old with an 8th grade education. His girl friend was 17 and pregnant.
This was why they were here at the hospital nearly 12:00 midnight. She was having false labor reacting to some threats with other neighbors. She was clearly upset.
As he spoke, I primarily listened to him hoping that he would calm down. He began to tell me that he had been trying to maintain work, that he was a hard worker.
He was concerned about money, his family, his past, and his future. Then he began to have tears in his eyes wanting me to prove to him that there is a God.
As we talked, the old Non-Commissioned Officer began to surface and I started giving him ideas of things he could do to help his situation.
I first advised him to stay away from drugs and alcohol.
I encouraged him to keep an open door with the Lord Jesus Christ, and yes, I encouraged him to check out the Catholic Faith.
He was half Mexican and half White and so I felt that somewhere along the line he might of had a Catholic background.
He continue to be emotionally charged and I felt he was a ticking time bomb who could go off at any time.
I was fortunate that he was willing to listen to me and I was able to calm him down.
I asked him about the possibility of getting a GED to get a diploma, with that I was encouraging him to look at the Military, college, anything that could help him move forward.
As I continued to listen to him, he became very thankful that I gave him the time of day.
I was able to give him some inspiring stories about how God has made a difference in my life.
This was important as he was concerned about his girlfriend whose Mother was outside waiting to see them.
I was able to make a difference providing hope to someone who was hopeless. He gave me his phone number so I can call him to check on him.
God in his infinite mercy can touch those who are hopeless, who feel such great despair.
You never know when you might have the "Columbian Lord of Waco" come to you. You do not bring souls to Christ by closing the door in their face or tuning them out.
Change and conversion can be real when they see Jesus in us.
Many of us have family members that are living in sin, living outside of God's grace.
Let prayer be our standard bearer, our source of strength. It is very difficult to see our loved ones caught in a swirlpool and can't get out.
The following is a scene taken from "The Cross and the Switchblade", based on a true story. This is not specifically a Catholic setting, but it falls in line much of the Catholic teaching.
Home page DTB facebook Page
You Tube
Blog Talk Radio Show
