I knew from my love of the Saints and my Catholic faith that when one receives a calling in their heart from the Lord the best thing they can do is pray and listen more intently. Most of the time God doesn’t just lay out the whole plan for people – otherwise we would get cold feet and back away entirely, because God’s plans are always greater than our own minds believe we can achieve. Rather, God lays down one section of the road at a time, leading us through the labyrinth one leg at a time, one foot in front of the other, step by step. If we are attentive to the voice of God, and we follow his lead and his promptings, then we find that where one door might close, another one opens up. We just have to keep knocking, asking, seeking. He will honor our feeble attempts at stumbling around in the dark. He shines the light where our eyes need to focus.
And so with this, I prayed. I listened. I dreamed. I imagined what could be done. I poured my heart out to our Lord. I spoke to him about the pros and cons of a museum. I talked to him about how this idea could really help a lot of people grow closer to their faith. I also talked to him about how I don’t like working weekends, especially Sundays – and that I would want this museum to honor the Lord’s day. I brought to the Lord all my feelings and desires, all my thoughts and ideas, and I just laid them all at his feet.
I also sought spiritual advice from several priests I knew. One priest in particular (Father Michael Pintacura) was also in the process of making his own museum (I encourage everyone to pray for him and the museum dedicated to Blessed Anna Maria Taigi http://taigivision.org/). God speaks to us in many ways – mostly through Scripture, but also through other holy men and women. He also speaks to us through the voice of his Saints.
This is what prayer really is. It isn’t so much about me asking this, and God granting my wishes. It’s a dialogue between a Father and a son, between family. I have to constantly remind myself of this, because it can feel very one-sided at times… me doing all the talking. I have to learn to listen more. I’m still learning. Still praying. And I’m still listening.