I was standing in line today at the 15 items or less checkout stand.  It was really a trying day for me, but I didn’t expect any less because this is Lent and what’s that saying?, “if anything can go wrong…?”

The person in front of me had way more than 15 items.  She was an elderly woman. She was moving very slowly in putting her items on the register. On top of that she wrote a check. I thought who uses checks now a days?  My head was about to explode because I was in a hurry, a hurry to do this and that… (what I thought was important). I had to invoke Our Lady of Lourdes to help me calm down.

I thought—wait!!! This is Lent, a time when I need to focus outward instead of inward, on others instead of me.  This lady who was writing this check, she seemed to have nothing. Her clothing was tattered.  She pulled out coins in addition to her checks to pay for her for groceries.

This bible verse came to my mind, “And he opened his mouth, he taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5, 2:3) How beautiful is the sight of this lady’s soul in God’s eyes. She may not have much, and she may be poor, but how much is she in the eyes of God? I thought, we must be poor in spirit. All the riches the world has to offer doesn’t mean anything so long as we have Christ in our lives. Poor in spirit means being closer to God. It is humility and humbleness.

I grow in this Lenten season. I have AAA Lot to learn, but I pray to Jesus for his help and mercy to help me to be the person he wants me to be: “poor in spirit.”

Thomas Dinh

Altar Server at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Oakland, CA

Guest Writer