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Brother Mike Herlihey recently shared on his Facebook account an encounter with a young child that left him with a renewed fervor for his faith.
During the summer Brother Herlihey was playing outside with some of the kids at the school next to his church. He explains that when one of the youngsters saw him in his habit, they were filled with excitement and asked if he were Jesus. “I’m not Jesus, but Jesus is a good friend of mine,” he replied to the little boy.
The boy, who is referred to as “Tyrone,” proclaimed that Jesus was his friend too, and the pair then joined the other children and their chaperones to play some games.
At the end of play time, the Franciscan friar asked Tyrone to pray for him. What happened next took him by surprise. While Brother Herlihey had meant for the little boy to pray for him later on, the little boy fell to his knees and prayed on the spot. The shocked friar joined him in prayer and was delighted to see that after their spontaneous prayers, the other kids and their chaperones were all smiling encouragingly.
This simple moment in time left its mark on Brother Herlihey, and how he wants to continue to live his faith:
I want to be ready for Jesus to come again as urgently as Tyrone. I want to be excited to see Jesus and spend time with Him like Tyrone. I want to be fearless to pray in public and in front of my friends and those in positions of authority over me (bosses, superiors, etc.) like Tyrone.
As impactful as the experience was for the religious, his experience can also inspire us to be more like Tyrone: ready, excited, and fearless in our faith.
And today we celebrate...