Recently I spoke with a very dear friend, one who never married or had children but instead has dedicated her entire life to the service of God. She is one of the most holy women I have ever known and spends hours each day in prayer and at Mass. She has been fiercely independent all her life and is a very accomplished person.
She is getting on in years and is now quite frail; at times she finds herself in circumstances over which she has no control. She leaves herself entirely open to the will of God for her life and her future. She remains open to his teachings today, as she always has, but now the lessons are different. My friend has had many glimpses of heaven throughout her life but told me of one recently which reflects how close our Lord is to her every moment of the day and night, just as he is with all of us.
It is dark when she arises and heads to the bathroom in the middle of the night. She finds her way there slowly, and when she returns she looks up, facing a mirror in the living room. There, in the center of the mirror, is a reflection: the image of the cross to which she has been devoted all her life.
There is no physical cross there, of course, but God allows her to recognize his closeness and protection by showing himself to her in this very tender and intimate way. He is preparing to take her home to himself one of these days and simply wants her to know that he is nearby waiting for her. How good God is all the time.
