Editor’s Note: today we welcome Jaymie Stuart Wolfe to the New Evangelizer’s blogging team!
I admit it. Not going to Washington or New York for a papal Mass, or to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families makes me feel a little bit like Cinderella without an invitation to the ball. Let’s face it, these massive Catholic gatherings are amazing events. They encourage and connect, inspire and energize all who attend—especially when the Holy Father is there. Being part of a crowd centered on Jesus Christ just has that effect. For many, the experience can be life-changing.
Who wouldn’t want to be there? Many of us have heard more than a few priests tell how they first became aware of their vocations while attending a World Youth Day. More than one or two religious sisters and brothers have said the same. There are married couples I know of who first noticed each other at a March for Life or a Eucharistic Congress. And too, there are the conversions and healings that occur on pilgrimage, at basilicas, or in the presence of a saint’s relics.
All these things bear eloquent witness to what seems to be an extraordinary flow of grace at these extraordinary events. But I think that’s why I’m okay knowing that this time, the glass slipper is meant for someone else’s foot. How can I be so sure? Because I’m still wearing mine.
Our family traveled to Rome and Turin for the Jubilee fifteen years ago. The trip was an answer to a good two or three years of praying that God would somehow pay for us to make an excursion like that. Airline tickets and beds for nine is expensive, even if you’re doing it on the cheap.
The World Meeting of Families was held in October—just after the youngest of our seven children had her first birthday, and just before our oldest daughter turned sixteen. Traveling with all those kids to such a huge event was an adventure. We stayed in religious houses and took public buses around the city to visit many of the Ancient and Christian sites of Rome. We participated in a few absolutely beautiful Jubilee events, attended a Wednesday Papal Audience, and the Mass for Families.
As is usually the case with a pilgrimage, the blessings we experienced were accompanied by numerous trials. To be honest, I don’t remember what any of the numerous speakers said at the World Meeting of Families. I do remember confetti raining down in St. Peter’s Square at night; it made me feel like we were inside a giant snow-globe.
We left Italy with a few souvenirs and lots of memories. But it took time to understand what our family really took home, and even more time to discover the real reason that God had foot the bill for us to go.
I’m not sure how the idea first occurred to my husband and me. But over the next several months, we became increasingly convinced that someone was missing from our family. We were meant to have an eighth child. We also realized that God was calling us to broaden our idea of family beyond biology. One year after the World Meeting of Families, we applied to adopt a child from Russia. Our daughter came home six months later. She is now sixteen.
I imagine that the millions of people who will attend some portion of Pope Francis’ journey to the United States are full of anticipation, excitement, and joy. Every one of them has expectations for the encounter. The funny thing is that God may have a few of those as well. Most of His plans will be beyond what any of us ever imagined.
The events that occur this week in Washington, New York, and Philadelphia will not unfold fully for quite some time. The headlines and images, the stories and prayers, the feelings of solidarity and joy will be beautiful. God, however, is likely to have more permanent fruit in mind.
Vocations, marriages, adoptions, conversions, healings: all these—and more—are part of the harvest that is coming in due season.
Sure, I’m a little envious of everyone who is going to be there. But I know that the shoe I’m currently wearing is the one that fits. My part this time around is to pray for every soul in the crowds that gather. May all of our hearts be open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, and embrace whatever God will ask of us in the weeks and months and years ahead.
Copyright 2015, Jaymie Stuart Wolfe
Jaymie Stuart Wolfe
Author of Adoption: Room for One More? (2015), Jaymie Stuart Wolfe is a Catholic convert, wife, and mother of eight mostly-grown children. She has written and edited numerous books for both adults and kids, and works for Our Sunday Visitor as an Acquisitions Editor. Under Loaves and Fishes Ministry, Jaymie reaches out through word and song as an author, columnist, speaker, and musician. She is a co-founder of Live + Jesus, a group embracing the spirituality of Saint Francis de Sales and promoting the Works of Mercy in daily life. A graduate of Harvard University, Jaymie also holds a Master of Arts in Ministry degree from St. John's Seminary in Boston. Jaymie lives in Massachusetts with her husband and family (and a continually evolving menagerie of exotic and ordinary animals). Follow Jaymie @YouFeedThem or connect on FB, Amazon, Goodreads.
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