May312026
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A young man living in Nigeria applied to the United States government for a green card, and he got it. Do you know how hard it is to be a Nigerian and get a green card from the United States government? It is easier for you or me to walk across the street to the corner store, buy a scratch ticket, and win a million dollars. Amazingly, he got the ticket to the good life. He left his family and homeland to come to college here. After hard work and applying himself to his studies, he graduated and landed a great job. He worked his way up the corporate ladder and received a nice salary. He used the money resourcefully for food and rent, thinking that every nickel that he didn’t spend on himself, he could send to his mom and dad. This is a great story of self-sacrifice and generosity. But there is more. So, there he is enjoying the American dream, standing on top of the mountain of success, and guess what he does? He gives me a phone call. Why? I was the vocation director for the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, and he wanted to be a priest. I was impressed because that is the type of person we all want. He was ordained, and I am very happy to tell you that he is now a priest working in a community in the Philippines.

I have one more story about him. He asked me to give the homily at his first mass. So, I flew to a parish in the Midwest where he had been working as a deacon for the past year. I got up to speak in front of a packed church, and I am happy to report that no one fell asleep. At the end of Mass, the newly ordained priest stood to say a few words. He began his talk with a “funny.” Then he laughed hysterically at his own joke. He brought the house down. Then he told them something heartwarming, and everyone pulled out handkerchiefs and mopped up their cheeks from the waterworks. When he was finished, the church filled with all white folks stood up before the African-born priest and applauded…and they never stopped. His talk was good, but it wasn’t that good. They loved him because he is real.

It says that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. When you do this nailed on a cross, it is real. It is easy to be patient at times. It is easy to be loving at times, it is easy to be generous at times, and it is easy to forgive at times. When you do it all the time without interruptions. Then you will know that you are real.

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