In his autobiography Someone with Me, William Kurelek recounts his life in which he suffered from mental illness and from a near-suicide, to his conversion to the Catholic Church. His inspiration to do everything for Christ was an experience (Advent) he had while traveling in the Arizona desert. He was sleeping under a road bridge and was awakened by a man in a long white robe urging him to “Get up, we must look after the sheep.” At that moment the desert seemed flooded with sheep. Kurelek took the figure as Christ.
Converting to the Catholic Faith and becoming a man of prayer, he created 160 paintings illustrating the Passion account of St. Matthew. He became Canada’s most popular painter with no interest in the fame his talent brought about. Throughout his life he was most generous in feeding the poor through sales of his paintings.
Today, we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, “Rejoice Sunday,” taken from the words of St. Paul in today’s Second Reading: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near.”
How does the Lord make your life worth living joyfully? Is your kindness known to all?
St. Paul continued: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”
And the fruit? “Then the peace of God that surpasses understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
For more details about William Kurelek, see Donald DeMarco’s commentary in the National Catholic Register.
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