Holy Week 2009 – A Story of Mercy and Grace

Friends, I want to share an email with you that I received a couple of weeks ago. Glory to God…

I wish I could tell you this story about God’s Mercy and your incredible gift of music in person… I will do my best to write this in an e-mail and do it justice. My name is Zoe Cannon; I am a Mom of 4 incredible adult kids. The house is less busy with their activities absent in our lives; so my husband and I spend a lot of time volunteering as ministers in our Parish, Sacred Heart in Vincennes, Indiana…..In spending our time as God’s hands and feet, there are many great God incidents to tell, but your song “You Stand Knocking” has had an amazing response in my desire to do God’s work. The ordinary details of caring for people can be overwhelmingly beautiful when done in partnership with Him. Having said that here is the short version of my experience with God’s Mercy and your song…”You Stand Knocking”

I take Holy Communion to the residents in a local nursing home..My dearest visit for the past 8 months has been with Anna who was 102 years old and a member of the Baptist Church. I became so captivated by her pleasantness at that stage in her life that I took it upon myself to see her every day even if it was just for a minute. I always greeted her by taking her hand, calling her name and reminding her that it was her friend Zoe. Some days she knew me like a best friend –other days she would tell me about the visits she got from a Catholic girl who prayed these beautiful prayers with her. The mind is so beautifully made, especially after 102 years of life. We would just talk and pray the Our Father together, and she loved hearing the prayers of the rosary.

She often told me she was so scared and uncertain about her death and wondered why God was keeping her around so long. Last Friday morning I stopped to see Anna and she was in bed which was very unusual. For the first time she looked 102 years old. Her breathing was much labored and she was very anxious and restless. In frustration she cried out a few times and began to talk as if she was seeing her Mother and Father. I know they were there to greet her and prepare her entrance to heaven. She also kept asking me about the babies and their safety. I held her and we prayed the Our Father. I had said the Divine Mercy Chaplet for Anna after mass that morning because I knew she was so near her final days. I lulled her to sleep with some hymns and then I went about my day. About 8PM that evening I told my husband I thought I should go say goodnight to Anna. Little did I know that following that prompting provided me with the greatest gift of presence. When I arrived I knew it was Anna’s last night on this earth. Her daughter in law was sitting next to her bed in a chair reading a book. I asked if she minded my praying with Anna and she assured me that it would be ok. As I took her hand, called her name, and told her it was her friend Zoe, I began to pray the Our Father and Anna took her last breath. I knew very little about this beautiful person. I knew she was from Philadelphia and had two sons that brought her to Indiana. Most important I knew she needed a God connection in her remaining days. And how she truly blessed me with her friendship. I later learned the babies she was so concerned about finding she had lost much earlier in life.

I went to bed that night feeling so blessed to have had that moment with my friend. And then I was awakened at 2:30 Am with another prompting….too long to detail but here is the short of it—-I was led to Spiritsong.com and the Song of the week. “You Stand Knocking “ When I read that the Divine Mercy Image inspired the song…I wept with the greatest joy and love of God. He had brought me through an incredible day with Anna and her blessing to eternal life and I felt as though finding your song was her gift to me. The first three lines of the song were almost identical to the only familiar words Anna and I spoke every day, and that night God spoke them to her and to me as well, with your beautiful song. This is confirmation that your ministry is so very pleasing to Him. I should have mentioned that the evening before Anna died my husband and I had helped facilitate an adult formation evening in our parish about the Divine Mercy and the life of Sister Faustina Kowalska. God is so good…It would be so great to see you in concert. I hope to get a chance to talk to you someday.
God’s Mercy and Peace….Zoe Cannon

3 thoughts on “Holy Week 2009 – A Story of Mercy and Grace”

  1. Thank you so very much for sharing Tom!!! As always you have been that “open vessel” and allowed the Lord to work through you what a true blessing…thank you so much for sharing this during Holy Week.

    I REALLY needed to read this and hear your song once more….

    Be Blessed in all that you do….and may your family feel the loving presence of our Lord Jesus always.

    Love In Christ,

    Joan =)

  2. Thank you Tom,
    I was so pleased to see Anna’s story on this Blog site. It is a wonderful reminder of the importance of the prayers we share with each other…..all in the name of Jesus. HIs MERCY does reign….Glory to God…..AMEN!

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