Born in Wisconsin in 1944, James Miller loved helping his devout Catholic parents on the family farm. After high school, he entered the novitiate of Christian Brothers, where he was loved for being kind and helpful. He earned a master’s in Spanish and taught at a high school before following a calling to the missions, going to Nicaragua to run a school. He taught, cleaned, built school buildings, and even founded a volunteer fire department. During the Sandinista Revolution in 1978, his superiors feared for his life and called him back to the United States. He returned to the missions in Guatemala in 1981, but he was only there for a year. He was on a ladder repairing a school building when three masked gunmen assassinated him.
CHALLENGE
Blessed James Alfred Miller knew what God called him to do, he used his gifts abundantly in that calling, and he willingly accepted the risks that came along with answering God’s call. How is God calling you to use your gifts? Are you accepting the call, or are you afraid of the potential dangers that go with it? Spend half an hour today in prayer and discernment, and ask for the courage to answer God’s call.
Have you checked out the Saint In Progress podcast?
The weekly show delves into issues of faith that everyone deals with on their journey home to the Father’s house.
