Mingling with the Crowd

O Lord, You know that I have been feeling restless for weeks. In the beginning, I thought that it was due to the changes in my children’s daily routines. Then I thought it was due to undisciplined times of deep fellowship with You. Nevertheless, this strong urge in me … to get out and feel real … kept needling me till I caught a mini-bus heading for the Mall and walked along the Chow Kit streets.

To my pleasant surprise, as I walked and talked with You about the people we met on the way, Your life rose in me again … I was happy and contented to be with You as we mingled with the crowd of commuters, shoppers, hawkers and tramps. I began to feel Your joy in the throng of fellowmen and women, adults and children. You seemed to want to reach out to tell them, “I love you, folks, I really do!”

Yes, Lord, I now can feel with Michel Quoist when he asserted that he could not live a completely contemplative life for long. Why? Because You are not only in the silence but also in the noise, the sea of humanity, and in the struggles of the needy of all races and cultures, longing to bring them home to be with You and with Your Father, the Father of all mankind.

I have one request, my Lord,” As it is so delightful to be with the crowd You love, will You please take me to mingle with them again?”

For Meditation and Prayer

Matthew 11:16-19