I was standing in front of the church before Mass the other day (as I often do) ready to greet people when they arrive. A big truck with an enclosed trailer comes into the parking lot--the truck full with a work crew. I did not expect them to come in for Mass; they looked like they were ready for a day's work. The driver did a u-turn in the parking lot, as I have seen others do a number of times. Apparently not because he changed his mind about coming to church, but because our parking lot is big enough for a u-turn.
I watched him go long on the turn and end up going through the grass with truck and trailer. There was not a glance my way to even acknowledge that he had driven across the lawn. I decided not to go and check the tracks, mostly because I had seen it so many times before I knew what it looked like already. The truck headed out and went to his destination on the next street over. I greeted a few more people soon after, and continued to wait for Mass to begin.
As I was speaking to someone, there was another person walking up to the church. I finished my conversation and turned to greet this other new face. It was the driver of the truck. He said his crew told him to forget it because it did not matter, but that he could not let it remain on his conscience. He had driven on our grass carelessly, and wanted to come over to apologize for doing so, and also for not doing anything right away when he did it. "I am truly sorry, sir", were his words. I told him "thank you for coming over and saying so"; we shook hands and he went back to work.
I do not need my roof re-shingled, but if I did I would hire that crew. Someone who cares that much about his actions is going to care about the work that he and his men do. His simple choice to come over to me and acknowledge his mistake goes a long way. I do not guess that he is Catholic, but I am praying for God to bless him and give him grace. Let us learn from the example of one who is "not far from the Kingdom of God".