Have you ever experienced an event or been in a conversation and known that it was more than just a coincidence? Many of you might call these Godincidences or Divine Appointments, and right you are! Sometimes God puts us into particular situations and introduces us to certain people so we can make His love known.
Occasionally we will take a day trip to Pittsburgh as a way to spend some relaxed time together as sisters. On one such trip we, four other sisters and I, unknowingly drove into a day of divine appointments.
Our first stop was at St. Anthony’s Chapel which houses 5,000 sacred relics, the 2nd largest public collection of relics in the world! We all found our favorite saints’ relics; including St. Sophia (I took my name after her). And some people believe the legend that she didn’t exist! Next we went to St. Patrick’s which houses a replica of the Holy Stairs. They represent the twenty-eight steps between Christ and Pilate when Pilate said, "Behold the Man" (Ecce Homo) and condemned Him to death.
And that is where our plans changed and it became a day with the Divine!
As we waited to see if St. Patrick’s was unlocked a well dressed man approached us, alongside him was a homeless man. He asked us if we would be able to take this man to a nearby homeless shelter. Our car was full and we didn’t know where the shelter was located so three of us hopped out and these two men got in.
Navigating through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh during rush hour took longer than expected so by the time they found us again it was well into dinner time. Dan, who brought us our brother in need, then treated us to pizza! As we ate, we shared about the Lord, our way of life, and how God had brought us together that night.
We got back in the car and headed to our next destination and the real reason we had come into Pittsburgh that day, to visit a friend in the hospital. In the process we missed our exit and were turning around when another man stopped us on the street. This time he was inviting us to Mass at the parish just down the road that also included the Divine Mercy Novena.
We kindly declined but as we were driving away we recalled how we had been talking, earlier in the day, about randomly joining a mass that we happened upon. So we turned around and slipped in just as Mass was beginning. We decided to offer the Mass for our friend in the hospital, whom we had not yet made it to visit.
Mass was beautiful, as were the parishioners and as we talked with and one of them offered to show us a shortcut to the hospital so we could still make it for visiting hours. God is so good!
We made it just in time but when we walked into his hospital room there was an empty bed. As we stood there with a bewildered look on our face the nurse informed us that our friend had been transferred to another hospital that afternoon. We were disappointed but glad he was closer to home.
As we were walking out of the hospital a woman stopped us and asked us if we would pray with her dad who had just had a stroke. We gladly went with her to her father’s room, talked with him and his family, and prayed with them.
As we all piled back into the car to return to Steubenville we excitedly talked through the events of the day! If each divine appointment hadn’t happened just the way it did we probably wouldn’t have ever met this family and been with them in their time of need because we would have come and gone from the hospital many hours earlier. But God ordained it all that day!
Sr. Sophia Grace Huschka, T.O.R.
