Trust Really is the Key

In a recent issue of Marian Helper magazine, we wrote an article entitled, "On Pilgrimage with Mary." It reminded me of a true story involving two Marian priests, Fr. Andrew and Fr. Bogumil. Both are originally from Poland and Fr. Bogumil is now a missionary in Brazil.

A while back the two priests were working in the United States, and they were taking a long car trip. Father Bogumil had a special devotion to a particular image of Our Lady that he believed was miraculous. He was carrying this framed picture with him on the trip.

At one point, they stopped at a rest area along the highway. Fr. Andrew was driving and Fr. Bogumil was in the passenger seat. Fr. Bogumil said, "You go ahead, I'll wait here." He later decided that he needed to go as well, so he left the car with the framed picture in the front seat. When they returned they found that Fr. Andrew had left the keys in the car, thinking Fr. Bogumil would stay with the car. Now they were locked out.

Father Andrew was quite upset and said to Fr. Bogumil, "Now what will we do?" Pointing at the picture, he said, "Can your friend help us now?" And he walked away.

With the innocence of a child Fr. Bogumil silently prayed to the Blessed Mother and then walked up to the manager of the service station and asked if he had keys to a Ford Taurus (the type of car they were driving). The manager said that his second car was a Ford Taurus, so he did have keys. However, he knew that there was a very slim chance that his keys would open this car.

Nonetheless, he tried the key . . . and the door opened immediately!

Father Bogumil thanked him, smiled at Fr. Andrew, and silently offered a prayer of thanks to Our Lady.

There is an important lesson in this for all of us. I heard a famous televison host recently say to a singer, "I was glad to see you didn't thank God on your album like others do. I have always thought that God couldn't care less about folk music." This television personality couldn't be more wrong. Our Lord and the saints in heaven are very interested in the little details of our lives. Just as we delight in sharing stories of our day with our loved ones, our heavenly family is interested as well.

With childlike trust, Fr. Bogumil was not afraid to ask Our Lady for assistance in his moment of need. We should not be afraid to trust in God's great mercy and ask for the help we need throughout our day. Our Lord and our older brothers and sisters, the saints, are actually very close to us. We should call on them and ask for graces throughout our day, especially for the conversion of our friends and relatives who may be far from the Lord.

It doesn't hurt to ask, and we won't be disappointed!

Father Joseph Roesch, MIC, serves the Marians in Rome. He is also the General Promoter of Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy.

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