The mysterious metal sound.
What on earth was that clanging and banging and slamming of doors sound every morning?
This is a story I heard from the founder of Opus Dei, Josemaría Escrivá. When he was a young priest in the 1930s, he would hear confessions in a Madrid church from 7 to 8 in the morning. After a few weeks, he’d hear the doors open around 7:30. Then he’d hear all this clanging and banging of something metal before it went silent… then he’d hear the clanging and banging again and the door slamming.
He decided that one day, he was going to sneak out of the confessional, hide behind the nearby column, and watch. He was going to solve the mystery!
So the next day, at 7:30 AM, the doors open, the sunlight comes in, and the clanging and banging of metal comes too. It’s a milkman with his milk pails and cans. He put down his pails and cans, then knelt down in front of Jesus in the holy Eucharist. He lowered his head and said in Spanish, “Buenos dias, Señor. Es Juan, el lechero. Espero que tengas un buen día,” which means “Good morning, Jesus. It’s John the milkman, just stopping by to wish You a good day.”
Then he’d pick up his milk pails, open the door, and go on his way.
St. Josemaría watched him go and said to himself, “I wish I had his faith and devotion.”
It’s a very simple thing, isn’t it? You, the electrician; you, the car salesman; you, the stockbroker; you, the attorney; you, the mother; you, the child… to open up that door and say, “hi, Jesus, it’s Billy. I play shortstop. I hope You have a good day.” If you do that, Jesus will grow in your heart, your faith will get stronger, and you will never leave Him.
Don’t leave Him alone! Jesus is truly present in the tabernacle. We’re moving to make a real effort of revival of faith and devotion to Jesus in the holy Eucharist.
And I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the people who showed up for Jesus in Indianapolis last summer: 65,000. Thank you, and be sure to watch for another Eucharistic Encounter next week, and may God bless you!
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