The news was sudden, sad and unexpected. Amy’s beloved husband, Michael, was gone. Amy Welborn Dubruiel, writer of all things Catholic, is living on the trust her husband Michael wrote about in his awe-inspiring The Last Column . He is remembered and celebrated by all who knew him and knew of him. In his last column for OSV, Mike spoke of what his friend, Fr. Benedict Groeschel had called “The Big Lie.’ It is that, “If we say all the right prayers and live correctly, then nothing bad will ever happen to us.” Michael then related a true story told him by Fr. Benedict:
Diana was a young Puerto Rican woman who grew up in a very faith filled home. Even though they were poor, her mother taught her at an early age to trust God above everything. By the time she was old enough to go to college, Diana found a way to pursue her education – again something that she credited to her strong faith – and became the first member of her large family to graduate from college. She then married and was hired by a large investment firm in New York.
Even though her job kept her busy, she found time to attend Mass everyday. When her friends threw parties, Diana made up goodie bags for them that included candy and make-up, but also a prayer book and holy water. When a member of her family couldn’t pay their bills, Diana secretly paid them. When someone in the family got into trouble she bailed them out of jail.
One night Diana had a strange dream. In the dream Jesus appeared to her, dressed in a white robe, standing on a cloud of smoke. He was beckoning her to come to him, telling her not to worry, that he was going to take her with him. Then it seemed to her that the whole world disappeared from beneath her and she awoke. She told her husband about the dream the next morning, but he didn’t want to hear about it—it scared him.
The next few nights, the dream repeated itself. She told her mother, who wondered what it could mean.
A month later on September 11, 2001, Diana was at work at her investment firm in the World Trade Center on one of the top floors. She phoned her husband and mother on her cell phone after the second plane struck the tower below her. She reminded them of the dream, just before the tower crumbled.
What is the opposite of the “big lie”? Trust.
To hear Michael speak, Amy suggests Spirit Catholic Radio
“There is an appointed time for everything… A time to be born and a time to die…. A time to weep. and a time to laugh and to mourn …a time embrace…a time to be silent … A time to love” Ecclesiastes 3
Amy our hearts are with you and your family.
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Everyday begins with God’s mercy. Everyday is a new beginning. As we open our eyes on this day, we begin again. As long as we are living and breathing this side of the Judgment, the sun comes up on our second chance.
