In the Moment with St. Joseph

By Tess Poling

At midnight on a cold night this past January, a neighbor called to tell us that the wind had knocked a tree from our yard into the road. The neighbor's daughter driving home could not pass through. Between the darkness, the rainstorm, the wind, and the fallen tree, this was indeed a safety hazard. I thought that the health of my husband, Roger, would limit his ability to do this task. Furthermore, our chainsaw had run out of gas. Maybe he could use the truck to push the tree out of the way?

At first, the tree wouldn't budge. Then he used straps to tie the branches together and hooked it to the hitch on the back of the truck. He slowly pulled the tree, which was about 60 feet long, out of the road.

How did Roger move the tree without any help? I asked him, "Did you sense anyone helping you?" He replied, "I did not see anyone, but I was getting 'instructions' on what to do."

I texted my contractor and asked if he could come in the morning to get rid of the tree. I prayed for no rain the next morning. It did not rain. He finished before noon the next day. The contractor said he purposely had not scheduled a job that day because he had expected rain. God arranged his schedule so that he could help us.

When there seems to be no way, God is there. I often call on the Blessed Virgin Mary, the saints, and the angels. I call on St. Joseph for any maintenance work at the house. I had called St. Joseph and all the powers in Heaven to help give Roger the wisdom to know how to remove the tree.

Roger had just had cataract surgery a week before and can now see without eyeglasses. Because of the pouring rain, he said he would not have been able to see what he had been doing if he had had glasses on.

This all happened on a Wednesday night, the day of the week traditionally dedicated to St. Joseph, and I was on day 27 out of 33 of both Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, and 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC.

When we trust in God, He gives us help beyond our imagination. Trials just test our trust in Him.

Thank you, St. Joseph and Mother Mary. Jesus, I trust in You.
FCSJ

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