Lord, Open My Eyes to See… the Light of Jesus by Sharon Fredrickson

Good evening! My name is Sharon Fredrickson and I have been asked to share my  story of transfiguration with you. Like many, in my younger years, I stepped away from  the church and focused on achieving the things of this world. Now, the things of this  world aren’t bad, however, when you place them before God, it is putting the cart before  the horse and, overtime, as I achieved goals, I would likely say to myself, in my heart,  ‘So this it?’. To that I decided, it is because you need to set the next goal - the next  raise, the next promotion, the bigger house, etc. None of these fulfilled the emptiness in  my heart. That emptiness became overwhelming, I was in a deep depression and lost.  I remember the day I kneeled down beside my bed, tears streaming down my face, and  asked for God to help me.

Lord, Open my eyes to see the Light of Jesus 

Fortunately, God placed in my life people who, by example and out of casual  conversation, shared with me how God had helped them in their life struggles and the  difference it made for them. This watered a seed that had been planted years ago, by  my mother and father, and had been neglected over time.  

I started to attend the SFdS Women’s Retreat. This gradually watered that seed and  the growth made me want to know more. I started to do research and find out about  how to say the Rosary (although my mother had taught me, it had been years and I  forgot), which led me wanting to learn more about Mary. I read many books on The  Rosary, mysteries of the Rosary and this led me to read the stories of Fatima, Lourdes  and Medjugorje. I started attending Sunday Mass on a regular basis. I even went to  confession - somewhat of a long one for that first time back but I got through it and so  did the priest.  

When COVID hit and St. Francis needed lectors and people to say the Rosary via  Zoom, I raised my hand. But it wasn’t enough, I wanted more. I started the Bible in a  Year and joined bible studies.  

My favorite Rosary is the Luminous Mysteries, in particular, the Wedding at Cana. The  fruit of this mystery is to Jesus through Mary. As I review the past couple of years and  my transformation, I see what God did. He gave me Mary who led me to Jesus. 

 When you love someone, you want to put your best foot forward. Jesus was always  there for me but I didn’t acknowledge him much. Now I wanted to work on my  relationship with Him and I wanted to put my best foot forward.  

I started to see the ways to make a change. I made time to say the Rosary daily. I  made time to go to week day mass, I signed up as a lector when the masses opened up  from COVID shutdown, and read scripture daily. I found if I didn’t do one of those  things, it left me feeling as though I let Jesus and Mary down.  

This led me to see things that need to change, because frankly, when you start  making these changes, certain habits and activities no longer fit in your life. They just  don’t feel comfortable anymore. To curse makes you wince, ‘Wow, did I just say that?’  The TV shows you watch, movies you go to see and books you read no longer are  entertaining.  

As my prayer life became a daily habit, I could see how to let Jesus help me change.  A major area was in my consumption of alcohol. I love wine and I love expensive wines.  I love to sip a nice Irish whiskey on a cold winter night in front of the fireplace. However,  drinking had become a daily habit to help relax from the days struggles. I could hear  Jesus telling me in my heart, ‘This is holding you back. You won’t be the best version of  yourself if you continue to drink.’ I prayed for help and the grace to quit.  

I have had many miracles in my life but there is not enough time to hit them all.  However, this prayer to quit led to one of the miracles in my life. Long story short, I  stood up one night after a couple of drinks and said, ‘No more! I’m done!’. I have not  had a drink in over 9 months and, the miracle is I have no desire to drink. This, in my  mind, is due to the Grace of God. For those of you who have gone through this or know  of someone who drinks, this is not a typical case. I joined AA, as they are known for  their support to stop drinking, and I worked through the 12 Steps. Now I am able to help  others who walked in my shoes.  

I know that my journey is far from complete. However, to Jesus, through Mary, together,  they open my eyes to deepen my understanding of God’s Divinity and all that I am  capable of. I find myself doing things I never thought I would do. I am now working  towards semi-retirement but now look to use my gifts with an organization that helps in  building people's relationship with God. I am now doing the Catechism in a Year. Never  in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would ask for a beautiful edition of The  Catechism of the Catholic as a Christmas gift. But, as the angel Gabriel told Mary, ‘All  things are possible with God!’

Thank you for listening to my story. I hope, in some way, I have watered a seed planted  within you. Around the gathering space and within the church, you’ll find purple hearts  to take home. Start to water your own seed and feel your heart transform. Start simple  - each morning, light the candle and spend 5 minutes with God. Warning: If you have  children, do this prior to the entire house waking up. If your mind wanderers while  praying, no worries, gently lead it back to prayer. If it continues, as God if He can help  you with it. After a couple of weeks, make it 10 minutes of time with God. But I warn  you, it is addictive and you’ll want more.  

Finally, last week, you all received ribbon packets and we have more at the crosses in  the gathering spaces to pick them up. Thank you again and God bless you!