Of Walkers and Worship

At Holy Mass this morning, I ran into an elderly gentleman that my family has known for several years, but with whom I have not spoken in a while. We initially got to know him from attending Mass at the Cathedral, and that is where I saw him today. This same gentleman is now quite up in years, and as I watched him return from Holy Communion today I couldn't help but notice what an immense effort it took for him to make each step— even with the aid of his walker. Such fidelity struck me. Here is a man who can barely move, yet he still drives faithfully to Mass each morning, lifts his walker from his car, and propels himself into the Church on two unsteady feet to sit down slowly in a pew and worship his God. Many of the rest of us who are agile and nimble could use to take some inspiration from this depth of effort!