Forgiveness
There have been a number of times in the past when out of seemingly nowhere I felt compelled to just stop what I was doing and for no apparent reason drive to Emmitsburg. Each time I did not know why but I knew I needed to go. This happened again today and I am forever grateful to God and His Mother for allowing me the privilege of being near enough to Emmitsburg, The Center of The Immaculate Heart of Mary that I can make the trip. For lack of any other word to describe it I will simply say that today like a number of other days in the past I felt the “Interior Call” to come to Emmitsburg today for reasons unknown to me. I got that call today so I went and this is how it went.
I knew my son C.R.C. was starting a new job tomorrow March 1st and I wanted to pray for that but it alone was not the reason I was going to Emmitsburg. I did not know why I was going. I had no agenda. Since yesterday and last night I would feel the sudden need to go but there was no apparent reason attached to the sudden “Interior Calls” that were each attached to a 13, 33 or 333. I just knew I needed to go, so I did.
Sunday February 28, 2021
S.C.C. and I started the day by going to the 8:30 mass at <Home Parish> in <Home Town>. We arrived and as I got out of the car I noticed another car directly in my view only a few feet away with the license plate of 33. Mass was beautiful and Fr. <Parish Priest> was the priest. Mass ended and as we were pulling out of the parking lot we were instantly met with another car and it had the license plate of 33. S.C.C. and I then rode to Wendy’s Restaurant to pick up breakfast for my mother and we took it to her. She is now 91. We then drove home. After we arrived home S.C.C. and I were sitting at the kitchen table and again I was suddenly struck with a sudden, out of nowhere thought that I needed to go to Emmitsburg TODAY. This caused me to glance at my watch and the seconds were 33. I asked S.C.C. if she would like to ride to Emmitsburg and she initially said yes but reconsidered and said no because of the hard pouring down rain and said she would like to go another day when she could walk through the Grotto. I left alone to go to Emmitsburg, not knowing why I was going. I actually felt a little foolish, that feeling dissipated when I pulled out of my drive way and the odometer was 3.3 and the time on the dash was 11:13.
It was a very rainy, even hard driving rain at times that slowed the trip. While I was driving I remember thinking about the fact that I had no agenda and to just let Our Lady guide this trip as she sees fit. That thought was so sudden and clear I knew to look at the clock on the dash and the time was 1:13. I continued to drive and as I was turning into the Grotto I noticed the time on the dash was 1:33 and the odometer was 3.3. I glanced at my watch and the time was 1:33:13.
I parked the car and it was still pouring down rain. I walked through the Grotto with an umbrella. I arrived at the statue of Our Lady of Fatima which is my favorite spot in the Grotto where I took the picture back on September 23, 1998. The ramp leading up to the statue of Our Lady was icy and very difficult to climb. I made it holding on the hand rail and glanced at my watch as I arrived and the seconds were 33.
I then walked to the glass chapel and I was planning on praying my rosary there and then going home. I was met at the door by Keenan who works at the Grotto and he said the 2 PM Spanish mass was going to start in 5 minutes. I then decided I would pray my rosary at St. Joseph’s while sitting in the car. As I started to walk back to my car I noticed Fr. Ted Trinko sitting outside under the overhang of the glass chapel hearing confessions. I had just been to confession the previous Wednesday evening to Fr. Kevin but SUDDENLY I knew I should go to confession again. There were only 2 or 3 people in line so I got at the end of the line. My turn came and I confessed my sins. Just when I thought I was finished a sin CRASHED through my mind that I knew I needed to confess. That sin was the fact that I still hold a burning ember of distrust and interior dislike in my heart for both people and priest who for whatever reason used false statements and slander to help destroy the Thursday Night Prayer Group where Our Lady TRULY appeared. Fr. Ted gave me a penance of reading the ENTIRE Chapter18 of Matthew and gave me absolution at 2:13.
Fr. Ted shook my hand and I left to go to St. Joseph’s to pray the rosary. I arrived and like most times the door was locked so I sat out in the car and glanced at my watch as I began the Joyful mysteries and the time was 2:33:13. I also prayed the Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries and walked around the church part of the time and glanced at my watch as I finished standing in front of St. Joseph’s and the time was 3:33:13.
I then drove back to <Home Town> and when I got home I completed the rosary by praying the Luminous mysteries with S.C.C. sitting in the living room. We started the rosary and the time on the living room clock was 6:13 and we finished at 6:33. Later in the evening with absolutely no regard for the time whatsoever I sat down in the basement to watch the news on TV. At the instant I plopped down in the chair I remembered that I still needed to pray my Matthew Chapter 18 penance and immediately sprang back up. I walked in the other room, picked up my bible and read Matthew Chapter 18 which talks about forgiveness in its entirety and when I finished my penance I glanced at my watch and the time was 8:13.
R.C.
March 28, 2021
7:13 PM