“Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 2:14-17
This is the remarkable story of a man who reached out to an old friend in need.
What was this need? A job? Help with some house or landscaping project? Money? Advice on relationships, vacations, cars?
Sometimes when we’re younger, reaching out to help someone might include urging them to stop smoking or using drugs or drinking so much. Or to finish school, stick with a job, not drive so fast.
These are important and are a way of charity, of caring for others when there’s no benefit to ourselves. We shouldn’t assume someone else is pointing them in the right direction. Addicts often say no one ever tried to persuade them to stop.
But once in a while the opportunity presents itself to nudge someone toward something far more important and eternal.
A few months ago my friend Bob heard that his old friend Robbie was very sick with cancer. Bob and Robbie had played hockey for over twenty years, traveling to numerous club tournaments, and watching plenty of NHL playoff games at the local pub. About ten years ago, Robbie stopped playing hockey and their connection since then had been sporadic.
Earlier this summer, a fellow hockey player called Bob to tell him that Robbie was dying of cancer. He’d smoked two packs of cigarettes for over 30 years and now the cancer was spreading.
Bob called his old friend and expressed his compassion. They shared old hockey memories and laughed about the NY Rangers missing the play offs last year. Lung cancer had led to urethra cancer as well as tumors in his brain. They talked about the horrible pain and the treatments Robbie had undergone. Then Bob shifted the conversation to his faith in God. “I knew he had separated himself from God about 20 years ago after his girlfriend was killed in a car accident. Blaming God for her death, he’d said, ‘God, you go your way, and I’ll go mine.’ No attendance at Mass, no sacraments, no prayers for 20 years. Complete separation from God.”
Bob asked his friend to reconsider and to turn his heart, mind, and soul back to God. Robbie said, “it’s too late for me.” “
“I told him it’s never too late and that the mercy and forgiveness of God is the most powerful force in the universe, and always available to us.”
Robbie shared the story of Luke 23:39-43, where the sinner to the right of Jesus’ crucifixion proclaimed his faith in Jesus. Even at that late hour, Jesus showed mercy, forgave him, and said, “Amen, I say to you. This day you shall be with me in paradise.”
Next Bob shared the story of the Prodigal Son. Luke 15:11-32 The selfish son insists on his inheritance, leaves the family and goes off to squander the money. Only when he’s desperate, he realizes what a fool he’s been and returns home seeking forgiveness. When his father sees him he runs to hug him and welcome him back. He doesn’t bring up all the harm the son has caused, He doesn’t offer partial forgiveness, He doesn’t hold grudges. He is completely joyous! He throws a party and says, “This son of mine was dead but has come to life again.”
“I told Robbie this is how God reacts when a sinner turns away from their sin and returns to God. It’s pure joy! So many people wrongly assume they’re too far gone, they’ve committed too many sins; they’ve led such a selfish life that God could never welcome them back. It’s just not true.”
It’s our moral obligation to help others when they have a problem, and it’s absolutely required by God when we see someone in sin. We will be held responsible if we witness another’s sin and do not admonish them. Ezekiel 3:18
Many people would’ve rejected Bob’s urging his friend to turn to God at the end of his life after so much pain and loss. This man could’ve hung up, changed the subject, reacted with rage and bitterness, said, “who are you to tell me what to do?!” He could’ve said, “God ruined my life when He took my girlfriend in that nightmare car accident.”
“I was fully prepared to get a blast of bitterness, to ‘mind my own business’, a ‘what do you know about my pain?’ response. But it was a chance I had to take.”
Instead of being hostile, Robbie was “receptive to God’s grace.” He listened to his friend’s suggestion to return to His faith.
That night, Robbie spoke to his sister. She helped him realize that God did not cause the tragedy that killed his girlfriend.
The next morning, “Robbie texted me saying he wanted to see a priest. He asked for Confession, Communion, and the Anointing of the Sick. I spoke to Fr. Jacob and together we went to Robbie’s house a few days later with a Bible, a rosary, a scapular, and the Divine Mercy chaplet. I reminded Robbie that all he had to do was ask God’s forgiveness for his sins, for the 20 year grudge he’d held against Him, and to forgive anyone who’d sinned against him. Matthew 6:14-15. I said the rejection of God for 20 years was like a drop in the ocean of God’s love and Mercy. Fr. Jacob heard his Confession and gave him Communion. Then he blessed him with the Anointing of the Sick.”
The next day, Thursday, “Robbie texted me saying he was very happy. He’d given his heart and soul to Jesus Christ, saying, “I’m all His!” He thanked God for His love and forgiveness.”
Robbie’s brother, “told me he was happy and at peace over the next few days. He wore the Scapula around his neck and had the Rosary beads hanging by his bed so he could look at them as he prayed. On Saturday, he took a turn for the worse, and on Tuesday he passed.”
After the funeral, Robbie’s brother shared, “It is a great comfort to know he was in God’s grace when he passed away.”
“I learned of Robbie’s illness on June 5th. He received the Sacraments and turned back to God on June 12th. He passed on June 17th. Just in the nick of time.”
