Last Thursday, I was driving home from a morning prayer service at Westville State Prison.

The night beforehand, we had been warned about a snowstorm that would be approaching Northwest Indiana. I was concerned about how that weather forecast would affect my travels to and from the prison. I take backroads to the prison on Route 2 to bypass the heavy expressway traffic and to enjoy the natural scenery.

Much to my delight, I did not experience any adverse weather conditions while driving out to Westville around 6:20am. I began to think about how hard it must be for the meteorologists to predict the timing of suspected bad weather, or for that matter, predict whether storms would even occur.

Upon leaving Westville around 9:20am, the weather turned bad quickly, first rain, then wind, then heavy snow. Notwithstanding my earlier thought about forecasting weather, I then found myself thinking about how blessed we are to have such learned meteorologists who are capable of helping us prepare for that which may happen.

In these weeks before Christmas, the Scripture readings touch on the end of time and the signs that warn us to be prepared, whether it be the end of our lifetime or the end of the world.

We are blessed to have very good priests like Father Ted and Father Steven helping us prepare for the moment we will meet God face to face. They are a blessing to us, and for that, we should all be most grateful. During this Thanksgiving weekend, let us thank God for their gift to us.   

By: Deacon Tom Gryzbek