42 GOOD MORNING, HOLY SPIRIT
I didn't pray. I just watched.
What happened next was more than I could ever have
imagined. I was startled by a sudden urge to pray. But I
really didn't know what to say. "Hail Mary" seemed
inappropriate for what I was feeling. I had never been
taught the "sinner's prayer"—not in all of my religion
classes. All I could remember of my encounters with the
"Jesus people" was the phrase "You've got to meet Jesus."
Those words seemed out of place to me because I thought I
knew Him.
It was an awkward moment. No one was praying with
me or even for me. Yet I was surrounded by the most
intense spiritual atmosphere I had ever felt. Was I a sinner?
I didn't think so. I was just a good little Catholic boy, who
prayed every night and confessed sin whether I needed to or
not.
But at that moment I closed my eyes and said four
words that changed my life forever. Right out loud I said,
"Lord Jesus, come back."
I don't know why I said it, but that's all that would come
out of my mouth. I repeated those words again and again.
"Lord Jesus, come back. Lord Jesus, come back."
Did I think He had left my house or departed from my
life? I really did not know. But the moment I uttered those
words a feeling came over me—it took me back to the
numbness I felt at age eleven. It was less intense, but I
could feel the voltage of that same force. It went right
through me.
What I really felt, though, was that this surge of power
was cleansing me—instantly, from the inside out. I felt
absolutely clean, immaculate, and pure.
Suddenly I saw Jesus with my own eyes. It happened in