St. Patrick's To Do List

It was dark, candlelit, and quiet.

My darkened soul was lit by the presence of Jesus ... however my mind could not stay quiet. As I sat in church today during adoration, thoughts like a gentle Irish rain fell upon me. And as they tend to do, they start as small droplets but then within a matter of seconds turn into a torrential downpour. I tried to run for cover but today I was unsuccessful, so I pulled out my phone and wrote down my thoughts ... it was my "To Do List." I quickly typed away making sure I had my shopping list written, and all the important tasks that were flooding my mind...

Adoration ended ... my list was done ... fast forward to the priest's homily.

The priest climbed to the pulpit, and a chill climbed my back... for the first words he spoke were ... "I know that all of you make "To-Do Lists." My eyes widened and my heart raced. Father could not have seen me ... he was in the last pew of the church ... I was upfront! He continued as he had my full attention, "What is the first thing on your list today?"

He paused as he looked out to all of us. "Well, I will tell you what you SHOULD have as the first thing on your list, "I will love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength... and I will love my neighbor as myself."

Father went on to mention how everything else on our list was meaningless compared to those two great commandments. He referenced Saint Patrick and how he had converted an entire country despite constant death threats and fierce opposition. He fought hard (a fighting Irish) and was successful because he had those commandments on his To-Do List.

No, Father had not seen me write my list ... but God had ... and through the Holy Spirt God spoke through the priest ... who wrote this message upon my heart ...

... in order to combat the anxieties and "To-Dos" of the world ... our list must always start with: "I will love God and I will love my neighbor."