“Good morning, would you like a free Miraculous Medal?” I asked, holding out a medal on a chain.
Welcome to Part 12 of a new weekly series on the formation journey of Josh, a first-year novice at the Marian House of Studies in Washington, D.C. Watch for a new entry every Friday.
With a folding table under one arm, I walked with Br. Eliott, MIC, along a busy Washington, DC, sidewalk. He was pulling a rolling suitcase, and we were headed toward the Mall – the long, green lawn between the Capitol building and the Washington Monument, one of the most popular outdoor sites in our Nation’s capital. I was already offering Miraculous Medals to random people walking by.
“Good morning, would you like a free Miraculous Medal?” I asked, holding out a medal on a chain.
Several men and women shook their heads, raising a hand to wave off the offer. Some smiled, politely answering, “No thank you,” while others just ducked their heads, likely afraid that I’d pester them.
Distribution
The Miraculous Medal is aptly named; it’s well known for bringing miracles to those who wear it. We also distribute Rosaries with pamphlets from Marian Press explaining how to pray it, and images of Jesus the Divine Mercy. We offer free literature to anyone interested.
I offered the medal to a young lady. “Would you like a free Miraculous Medal?”
“No, thanks,” she said with a smile.
The temperature was about 50 degrees, and the sun shone brightly overhead. As we neared the Mall, I made my first successful hand-off of the morning.
At least 15 people said no before a middle-aged man said yes. He accepted the medal.
Even before the first “yes” was spoken, I already felt great joy filling my heart. It struck me as supernatural that I could be hearing “no” so many times, yet could feel so much joy growing in me despite all of that. I realized that whether people answered “yes” or “no,” God was giving me and Eliott grace every time we offered this precious little gift.
The rest of the morning, we kept handing out religious materials. Sometimes we had conversations with people. Eliot’s friendly, open-hearted demeanor and his knowledge of Scripture and apologetics make him a great street evangelist.
A Protestant quizzed Eliott about the Catholic faith, asking him more and more questions. One poor man indicated he was thinking about coming back to the Catholic Church and asked for directions to a nearby parish. I talked with a young Protestant couple from England, encouraging them that what unites us is greater than what divides. The morning’s conversations were all very positive, bringing increased faith understanding to those who spoke with us.
Even before the first “yes” was spoken, I already felt great joy filling my heart. It struck me as supernatural that I could be hearing “no” so many times, yet could feel so much joy growing in me despite all of that. I realized that whether people answered “yes” or “no,” God was giving me and Br. Eliott grace every time we offered this precious little gift.
Squirrel talk
During free time when no people were around, I started making Eliott laugh by preaching to the pigeons and squirrels.
“You must be a good pigeon!” I admonished a nearby pigeon as it trotted hurriedly away. “Treat your fellow pigeons kindly!”
But one of the squirrels stole a protein bar from us and dashed up a tree with his prize gripped in his tiny, chubby mouth.
We set up our table near David’s Tent DC, where Protestants have been providing 24/7 praise and worship music. We’ve had good conversations with some of them.
The first time we had gone out, a couple of Protestant women had stopped by, and one of them started preaching at us, interrupting us and talking over us, while the other tried to ask us questions. We dialogued with the second woman. She had good questions, and we were knowledgeable enough to give her reasonable answers, but some tension worked its way into the conversation.
As our talk was winding down, the woman pulled out her Bible and started flipping some pages. A verse seemed to jump off the page at me and I stopped her at that page.
“Look!” I said, pointing to the verse.
The Scripture said, “The God of peace be with you all, Amen.”
The woman laughed and said, “That’s a great note to end this conversation on!”
Being a bridge
This morning, I tried repeatedly to give medals even to runners as they ran by. Toward the end of our time there, a woman stopped briefly, saying, “What is it?”
I very briefly explained and gave it to her, and she accepted it and kept running.
I turned back to Eliott who had a big grin on his face. “First successful hand-off to a runner!” I exclaimed.
By the end of the morning, we had given out somewhere between 50 and 70 medals.
As we drove home, I felt immersed in joy. On the side of the road, someone was selling art, and I noticed a beautiful, impressionist painting of a bridge over a river.
I mentioned, “We’re being that bridge.”
Next entry: "Working hard!"
Previous entry
Is God calling you to be a priest? Or do you know someone who would make an ideal priest? Contact us!
{shopmercy-ad}
