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I attended the Academy of St. Joseph's in Brentwood, NY, for high school. It was an all-girls catholic high school that my mom and her two sisters attended when they went to high school. I have nothing but wonderful memories of my classes, my friends, the Sisters of St. Joseph that taught at the school, as well as the school itself. One of the lovely affairs that the school sponsored each spring was the father-daughter dance.
My dad was the best. I have no other way to describe him because that is what he was: he was the best. He was quiet, but funny. He had a great laugh and enjoyed being social. He was very humble and exceptionally patient. He was very kind and considerate to all he met. He loved jazz and playing his trumpet. He was an excellent listener. He enjoyed his family: his wife and his 5 daughters. He loved to spend time with all of us. He had a passion for sailing and wooden sail boats. He built a few and he bought a few and we spent many days puttering or sailing around Setauket or Port Jefferson while eating sandwiches from the deli, drinking yoohoo, and eating goldfish crackers for a snack. He was an excellent speed skater (ice skater) and it was so much fun as a young girl having him whisk you in and around people at the rink - quickly, I might add. It was like flying on ice. He was very graceful when he danced. And, I was not. And I discovered that pretty quickly at the father-daughter dance that I attended with my dad my freshman year. I stepped all over dad's feet and he kept explaining to me that I had to just relax and let him lead. Interestingly enough, my dancing never improved and each year dad would try to teach me how to just relax and let him lead. Even on my wedding day, during the bride's dance with her father, I remember my dad kind of laughing quietly with me because I still was not able to let him lead without me stepping all over his feet. Hurt toes aside, it was a precious and lovely dance and a memory that I will always hold close to my heart.
It is all about not being in control.
Abandoning oneself to God is to me very much like dancing with Him. He invites me to dance, I agree and step up close to Him. I place my hand in His and I wait for Him to direct me - to lead me - and I try to move according to His desires - His direction. I try to relax and let Him lead. And I hope and I pray that I do not step on His toes...
The first time a group of us met at Lisa's home - we watched a taped interview of Father William Petrie, a priest from the order of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, by Father Mitch Pacwa, a Jesuit priest that hosts a show on EWTN. Both Father Mitch and Father Petrie were present at the first World Congress of the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that was held last October in Parlay, France. Lisa and Theresa were both present at the World Congress and they had met both priests.
Yesterday I sat and re-watched the entire interview. Father Petrie fascinated me from the moment the interview began. He talked about his call to become a priest that happened when he was 16 years old. He was a student at a Roman Catholic preparatory high school located in Phoenix, Arizona (Shelly Letendre, the Director of the Contemporary Choir at Sacred Heart Cathedral, joined us that day to watch the taped show was astounded to hear that Father Petrie attended the same high school that she attended!). Father Petrie said that before school began as a junior in high school, he attended a day retreat where he went to the Chapel for conference and his homeroom for spiritual reading. The Jesuit priest in Fr. Petrie's homeroom chose the book: Damien, the Leper by John Farrow. The retreat ended before he could finish the book so he went to the school library to find it. He could not find it, but he found The Heart of Father Damien which was written by a priest in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (his own present congregation). After he read the book, he said that he was "hit by the Holy Spirit" and he just knew that he was going to be a priest like Father Damien and that he would also work with leprosy patients. Father Petrie said that 16 years later, both came to fruition. When he was ready to begin his work, he heard of a little-known sister at the time, that worked with leprosy patients in India. Her name was Mother Teresa. Father Petrie's parishioners raised enough money for his round-trip ticket to Calcutta and then Father wrote to Mother to tell her that he would like to come and work with her. He included in his letter his flight information as well as when he would be arriving in Calcutta. The ticket for the trip was $800 and the amount raised was $1,000, so Father sent the remaining $200 in another letter to Mother. He never received a reply back from Mother Teresa regarding either letter.
Father left the United States as planned and when he arrived in Calcutta, there was no one there to meet him. He waited at the airport until the security guards told him he had to leave because the airport was closing. Someone recommended a lodge in the middle of the city, so he went there, stayed the night and called the convent the next morning. When he called he asked for Mother Teresa. The voice on the other end of the line said: "This is Mother Teresa". He told her about the letters and she said that she had never received them and then said: "Come right over". That was the beginning of a beautiful relationship for Father Petrie with Mother Teresa that would span the next 20 years, traveling with her and serving the poorest of the poor with her.
When I heard that story, it was very touching to me how much Father Petrie trusted in God and he was very obedient to his interior inspirations. First for his call to the priesthood and then to work with leprosy patients. And, I knew that if it were me, I would not have gotten on that plane unless I was sure that someone there was expecting me. But, I think that what Father Petrie did was exactly what God wanted Him to do. To trust Him to so much that he completely abandoned himself to God in everything that was asked of him.
Close to the end of the interview, before Father Petrie answered questions, he spoke about Mother Teresa. He stated that all - Christians and non-Christians - were drawn to her because of the "Sacred Presence" that she had within her. When Mother went to a place to do her work, she went in with no plan; no preconceived idea of what work to do. She would just go and share in the sufferings of others and she then she would let God do the work.
Later in the program, one lady asked Father Petrie about Mother Teresa's work. Did she really do anything? Or did she just let God do it for her? Father instantly responded that once Mother Teresa received approval or was given the go-ahead to begin her work that she went about working very hard, bringing sisters in, finding a house, etc. It was the dance that I was referring to. God asked Mother to dance, she took His hand, and began His work among the people. Beautiful.
We are only a little more than three weeks away from our pilgrimage. All of us are working, preparing for whatever God would like us to do. Sometimes I feel a wave of panic come over me - are we prepared? Will we be able to do what we are setting out to do?
Then, I remember that it is not us that are in charge - it is God. We need to abandon everything to Him. We will not be passive participants - but active. I pray that we will see what God would like us to do - to discern His will.
Then may we, like Father Petrie and Mother Teresa, step forward, put our hand gently in His hand and begin His work and Dance!
"As soon as the bearers of the ark of the Lord had advanced six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. Then David, girt with a linen apron, came dancing before the Lord with abandon, as he and all the Israelites were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and to the sound of the horn. As the ark of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul's daughter Michal looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord..." 2 Samuel 13-16
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