Day 24: The Tears of Abba for Lost Souls

Have you ever wondered how God feels about the lost souls in your family? You pray for them because you yearn for their salvation. You even ache for them, knowing that their sinful lifestyles are separating them from the God who loves them and they are endangering their eternal souls.

 When Israel was a child, I loved him, /and out of Egypt I called my son. /… It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, / taking them by the arms; / but they did not realize / it was I who healed them. (Hosea 11:1,3 NIV)

Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina said, “Oh the souls! If you knew how much they cost! …God runs after the most stubborn souls. They cost him too much to abandon them.”

One of my college professors was an avowed atheist. I became friends with Professor Kirk when I joined the campus planetarium staff; he directed the shows. As our friendship grew, I shared with him my belief in Jesus, and he listened because of our friendship. But he would not give faith a try.

Then Ralph and I wedded. Less than two years later, I discovered the miracle of the Eucharist and became Catholic. Shortly after that, we both discovered the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and my faith became more alive than ever. Then, during a visit to my parents’ home, which was near the college I had attended, I learned that Professor Kirk was in the hospital dying from cancer. So I went to visit him.

On my way to the hospital, I prayed for his soul. Unexpectedly, a vision overtook my mind. I saw Jesus leaning over my friend’s hospital bed, crying. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He sobbed with an inconsolable yearning because this man was still rejecting him and he would soon face the eternal consequences of his decisions.

The scene shook me to the core. I wanted to comfort Jesus, but there is no comfort I could offer that would replace the pain of the loss of a person’s eternal soul.

Day 24 on the journey includes:

1. What is apostolic activity?
2. Anger at the root of faithlessness
3. Fatherhood’s role in finding faith
4. The heart of the Father
5. A Prayer to Free the Captives

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