Peace! People often ask what we do for “fun.” Perhaps there is a misconception that religious and priests say “no” to the good things life has to offer. It is true that as Franciscans penance is essential to our life of on-going conversion and our relationship with God is our top priority. That being said, the Lord has a way of “arranging” fun for us . . . usually through encounters with the people we are called to serve and through the work we do to serve the poor and preach the Gospel.
– We all know God is never outdone in generosity.
– We also know that His providence is unpredictable.
– But in case you forgot, God is also LAVISH sometimes . . .
On Saturday night we were unexpectedly picked up by our friend Hotdog (he owns a hot dog stand in Chicago.) in his big red fire truck! Hotdog and his friends have been incredibly generous to us, regularly bringing by food and other things to help make life a little better for our neighbors who are in great need.
Imagine the glee on our neighbors’ faces as they saw their Franciscan friends riding though the West Side on a vintage 1970s fire truck! We waved to everyone we saw on our way to Little Italy, where Hotdog treated us to a huge Italian feast and desert . . . and as if that were not enough, we went for Italian Ice before riding back in style up Chicago Avenue to the Mission!
We don’t enter religious life for fun and games . . . but when blessings appear in the form of a big red fire truck, all you can do is say “thank you Lord” and get on board for the ride!
