"Amelia"

I do not write much about my "locutions", I do try to make them known though, they are cloaked within the stories written in this blog. Yet some are so touching to me I believe they deserve direct mentioning. Such as the "Amelia" one. Over many months now, Jesus has spoken to me about "baseball", yes baseball. I am not a fan of baseball or any sport yet I have "heard" messages about baseball. What I have learned from these messages is the need to "step up to the plate" and do the right thing, even if you strike out, keep your eye on the ball and keep swinging. And if you should be graced enough to hit the ball, run the bases, bring it home. That you need to "play" the game and the game is a team sport. By playing the game I mean, do not talk the game but get in there and play it. You know, one hears a lot of talk about the hungry, the homeless, the down and out, but who is in the game helping these people. We are called to be players, not observers, there are no home runs unless you are up at bat, you are in the game. You cannot play the game of baseball alone you need a team and the team has to be like minded. There are rules and regulations within the game of baseball, such as there are with God, his being love, mercy, forgiveness, and charity.

So why the title "Amelia".... this is why...last Saturday while at Mass, the priest mentioned that there would be a funeral for a woman named, Amelia on Monday. The priest went on to say she had no family and that it would be nice to pray for this soul. Upon his saying this I decided I would attend Amelia's funeral Mass on Monday. Over the weekend I did what many are doing this time of year, shopping for Christmas gifts (there are 4 very young children in the family so I spent some time in a toy store), in addition to spending time with family. During my time at the Chapel in the evening though, Jesus once again spoke to me about baseball... This I thought odd for it is not baseball season and the thoughts of baseball were far from my mind, usually not there even during baseball season!

I did go to Amelia's funeral on Monday and once again, Jesus spoke to me about baseball and he smiled while he spoke of this. Yet this time I "saw" him at a baseball game, in a stadium, a filled stadium and he was with a woman unknown to me. I could "hear" the crowd, I could smell the peanuts in the air, hot dogs, everything that one would associate with a baseball game I either heard, saw or smelled it was very vivid. Now since I was at a funeral, I thought to myself, okay this time you really lost it. Here I was sitting in a church suppose to be praying for the deceased woman and I am mentally and somehow spiritually at a baseball game!!!

Soon it was time for the priest to deliver the homily at the funeral mass of Amelia and I could not believe what I was hearing... This priest said that the day before he went to the funeral home to visit with Amelia's friends and pray for Amelia. Now this priest never met Amelia, and he said the following; that he was surprised to see what Amelia was being buried in, a Baseball uniform... now as soon as I heard this my total focus was on this thought. A baseball uniform!!! This woman died at 82 years old and she is buried in a baseball uniform. For the rest of the Mass my thoughts were on this.

After the Mass concluded, Amelia's closest friends eulogised her and they spoke of her great love of baseball... calling her the biggest Yankee fan ever! That those who knew her, knew enough not to call her during a game, or if you visited her during a game you better be quite, sit and watch the game with her. That her greatest delight was to go to a baseball game. They also spoke of the fact that Amelia was a nurse and how many people she helped during her life; the woman who was doing the speaking actually said, if not for Amelia she would be dead, for Amelia was present at her birth and she had stopped breathing and it was Amelia who did mouth to mouth to start her breathing again.

So then I thought back to Jesus speaking to me about baseball this past weekend, he was letting me know about Amelia and that she was a player for his team, by her helping others. And as her reward, he came for her and took her to her favorite place, a stadium to "see" a baseball game.

That is the best statement I can give each and every one of you. That is how personalized you are to God, that he knows every thing about you... and to Amelia a piece of heaven would be going to a baseball game and God through Jesus provided this for her, as his thank you to her, for a game well played here on earth. Yes I think Amelia was not just an observer of the game on earth she was an all-star player on God's team... I end this with song lyrics for Amelia

Take me out to the ball game

Take me out to the crowd

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack

I don't care if I ever get back

Let me root,root, root for the home team

If they don't win it is a shame

For it is one, two , three strikes your out

At the old ball game

Yes indeed Amelia was a player, she rooted for the home team with her acts of love, kindness and mercy. Amelia stepped up to the plate in life, she kept her eye on the ball and hit it out of the ball park.

We are all like Amelia, the game will end for us one day as well.... when that happens what will be your sates... you will have a history of home runs or strike outs?

Excuse me I have to put on my baseball cap now and get into the game...