"Christ is in the Corridors Here"

Today I started the Clinical Pastoral Training portion of the deacon formation program. I have no intention of writing about it in any detail, but I did want to say that my first day was not what I expected at all--there were many moments of grace, and an incredibly powerful moment in which I prayed with somebody, as requested, and we grasped hands.

Now, extemporaneous prayer with strangers is not my forte. But today, the words flowed, and God's grace was in the room; I felt it like a physical presence.

The Catholic chaplain put it best, when we spoke at the end of my shift. "Christ is in the corridors here," he said. I believe that; I am awed by the courage, the good humor, and the devotion of those I met today, and those with whom I am working.