A number of years back, a young and very successful executive was travelling down a suburban street in his brand new black jaguar. Suddenly a brick was thrown from the sidewalk, thumping into the side of the car.
Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. The driver jumped out, grabbed the kid who had thrown the brick and pushed him up against a parked car. “What was that all about?!” he screamed. “That’s my new Jag, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money!”

“Please, mister, please …. I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do!” pleaded the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop to help me and my handicapped brother!” Tears were dripping down the boy’s chin as he pointed around the parked car. “My brother rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.” Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”

The mood was transformed in a moment as the young executive realized what had occurred. He lifted the young man into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts. He then watched as the younger brother pushed his older brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

The young exec never did fix the dented side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention.

There is more to life than increasing it’s speed. Don’t overreact or jump to conclusions when something or someone interferes with your hurried pace. It is more important to take the time to be sensitive to the needs of others than rushing headlong through life.

Whenever your spirit and body are out of sync, whenever your life is so hectic that your mind is swirling about in different directions, slow down and take a deep breath. Ask the Lord to give you a sense of balance, a sense of His peace.

Let’s pray: Lord slow me down.

—Provided by Fr. Hugh Duffy