We Were Blessed

It does not happen every day, but it does happen. And when it happens, it is a gift. I am referring to those blessed moments in life when we are taught something from an unlikely source. In her song “Blessed”, Lucinda Williams sings:

We were blessed by the blind man,
who could see for miles and miles.

We were blessed by the fighter,
who didn’t fight for the prize.

We were blessed by the mother,
who gave up the child.

We were blessed by the soldier,
who gave up his life.

We were blessed by the teacher,
who didn’t have a degree.

We were blessed by the prisoner,
who knew how to be free.

In this song, Lucinda Williams describes well how sometimes we are taught important things from unlikely sources. And when that occurs, we feel blessed.

In order to be blessed by an unlikely source, at least two conditions must emerge. For one, the “teacher” possesses the quality of a prophet, which means he or she has the courage to point to the truth. A prophet fully embraces the truth because he or she understands the inherent beauty and goodness of it and wants to convey this truth to others.

Thus, like the song goes, someone may be physically blind, but still be able to “see for miles and miles” in a spiritual, instinctual or astute way. The second condition necessary is that one must be receptive to the witness of the prophet, to the message that the prophet is conveying in word and deed. Being receptive to a new truth demands humility and docility, two qualities which are seldom esteemed in our present-day culture. Living childlike receptivity is a prerequisite for being able to feel blessed from an unlikely source or by an unusual occurrence.

Prophets are very much needed in today’s culture. (I make this statement with the hope that the reason why prophets are needed is rather self-evident.) Specifically, promoting, teaching, preaching, living NFP, and helping couples conceive naturally and treating their fertility healthily demands courageous prophets. All of our contributors in this edition of CANFP News point to the need for prophets and for docile receptivity to the prophet’s message. Our contributors (and Lucinda) have inspired me to pen a few lines to a song:

We were blessed by the
youth and young adults,
who chose chastity

We were blessed by the couple, who wanted to practice NFP

We were blessed by the NFP doctor,
who taught how to be truly free

We were blessed by the minister,
who preached the truth of NFP

We were blessed by the generous
ones, who chose to be NFP teachers

We were blessed by the One, who gave
us the gift of being His creatures

Yeah, we were blessed.

Do you have the courage to be a prophet?
Are you willing to teach, preach,
promote, and live NFP?
If so, you will be blessed.
And you will be a blessing to others.