"Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus." Acts – 4:13
Some time ago, when I was beginning to participate in Pastoral Juvenil, I had the blessing of meeting an extraordinary man. His name was Margarito. He dressed and spoke very simply. At first glance one could think that he was a man with little academic education. After greeting and introducing each other, Margarito did not waste a minute and began to tell me about the wonders of the Kingdom of God. It was not a talk where religion was forced, no, it was a simple talk like any other. In less than an hour, in which he did not waste a second, Margarito gave me a lesson, through his life story and without using complicated theologies, about how God's love works in our lives.
Do not think that this was a common case of someone who had an encounter with God at a specific time and that was about it. No, Margarito had an encounter with God when he was lost, but it didn't stop there. Margarito spent the rest of his life living in a perpetual encounter with God, he created a relationship with our Lord by studying and living the Scriptures. He had a hunger for the word of God that I have rarely seen in other people. I remember in one of the many conversations I had with him he told me, pressing his face with his hands in a gesture that seemed like frustration, as if he wanted to remove from his mind the words that could describe his ardor of faith: "Gustavo, it's impossible not to proclaim the Glory of God! I cannot keep quiet; I would be ashamed if a stone spoke in my place glorifying God!
The last time I saw Margarito, he was lying in a hospital bed, cancer had devastated him physically, but not spiritually! His spirit was even bigger. He kept talking about the wonders that God had done in him. It was Margarito himself who gave comfort to those of us who visited him during that illness. One of the last things I remember hearing from Margarito's mouth is that he knew God was calling him, but Margarito was only asking for a little more time to continue speaking of His glory to others. When I received the news that Margarito had passed away, I felt sad for a moment, but suddenly my heart was filled with joy as I imagined how Margarito's encounter with God would have been. Even at this moment my eyes fill with tears at the thought of that. Having met Margarito helped me in my spiritual life and I ask God that one day I will be able to feel at least a little of the fire that that simple and humble man felt in his heart when he proclaimed the glory of God.
Are you willing to proclaim the glory of God with your life and words?
Grant me Lord the grace to proclaim Your glory through my life and words.
Reflection by:
Gustavo Facio Orozco
Did You Know...
Gustavo Facio Orozco is a member of the Pastoral Juvenil Hispana. He is a parishioner at Corpus Christi in Temple Terrace where he is a lector for the Spanish Mass. Gustavo is currently studying psychology at the University of South Florida. He loves reading, traveling and grilling.
