The Consolation of His Great Love

You may remember Jonathan, whom we wrote about last year. Before we returned to Costa Rica in January, we had heard that he had left the Casa Emanuel recovery center and had a new job in a tourist town. Unfortunately, this became a spiraling trap, as it led him back to his former way of life. 

A few days after we returned, we went to look for him. All of the people Jonathan said he knew told us they didn’t know him. His boss wouldn’t look us in the eyes. At that point, we knew it was useless to look further and just prayed at the city’s church for him. God knows better than we do. Recently, we were able to speak to him at last. He said he was doing okay. He is trying to live the best he can but doesn’t want to return to Casa Emanuel. We offered no judgment, reminded him of God’s inexhaustible mercy, and encouraged him to stay the course.

Although Jonathan is no longer at Casa Emanuel, there are other men who could also use encouragement and reminders of God’s reckless love. So we asked if we could still visit on Sundays. After getting permission, we were asked if we could also take the men to Mass on Thursdays. We agreed. Before now, we would have had to make multiple trips; however, we just inherited another van to care for, which is perfect for bringing all the men to the church together! We saw this as our first little miracle.

Our second little miracle was when we met the bishop, Monsignor Jose Manuel Garita Herrera. He is always so welcoming and sweet to us! When we met with him, we asked where he was celebrating Mass the following Thursday. Maybe we could take the men to get a special blessing after Mass. He told us but then said, “How about I celebrate a special Mass at the chapel close to the center? Let me look at my calendar.”

Monsignor had an opening this past Thursday! 

Earlier in the day, we offered to take anyone who desired to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. About half the men took advantage of it. I can’t tell you how emotional it was when one of the guys waved his arms and declared, “All clean!” after his encounter with the priest. All were smiling, patting each other on their backs, and celebrating this sweet moment of victory. 

In the evening, the Mass was celebrated with great joy! Monsignor took a moment to honor Umeke, the director of Casa Emanuel, who has been docile to the Holy Spirit when He calls. Monsignor also spoke of the great struggle with sin, the consequences of the choices made by our free will, and God’s faithfulness through it all. He kept repeating that the cross was never easy to carry and that life is not easy, but by staying close to the Lord, it can be possible to carry the cross to its final destination. Not all the men are Catholic, and a few are not even Christian, but all were respectful and very appreciative.

After Mass, we ate an amazing meal accompanied by plenty of desserts! We took pictures, said goodbyes, and headed back to the center.

We praise God for His consolation of His great love for us once again. The men were definitely encouraged and felt loved that day! One older gentleman, who always seemed to be grumpy, surprised us when he stopped to thank and bless us. Another gentleman shared that he had a “full stomach and a content heart.”

Thank you for being part of this orchestration of God’s plan through your support and prayers! Please keep praying for all who suffer from addictions.