This is an odd sort of blog post, but the Spirit moves me to write it. At liturgies in our Notre Dame chapel, I sit in the front row, where I can hear better. This past week before Mass a fly was on the white cloth on the altar. Then he lit on the lectionary. The reader got up and brushed him off. Later, during Mass he was strolling along the floor next to the altar. I could not take my eyes off him. I watched as he jumped into the shadow of the altar. Then he vaulted about a foot and a half into the air and flew smack into the lectern stand, knocking himself out. He lay immobile on the floor.

St. Therese, the Little Flower, on finding a spider in the convent, would respectfully carry it outside. A Buddhist would spare a pesky fly. But I’m no St. Therese. Neither am I a Buddhist. Besides, I realized that the fly might return to the altar and bother the priest, or worse. Should I dare to sprint from my seat to the fly and get rid of him? No, that solution would be a spectacle and distract the congregation.

So I prayed, “Lord, would you send the fly in front of me so I can discreetly dispose of him?” Immediately I thought, “Here I am praying an inane prayer while so many people have asked me to pray for loved ones who are seriously ill, not to mention the needs of our tortured world.” A while later, I lost track of the fly. At least he wasn’t crawling on the altar.

The Mass proceeded. While singing the final hymn, I glanced down and there sat the fly directly in front of me. Without any qualms of conscience, I took one step and dispatched him over the rainbow. I doubt anyone noticed.

Our chapel is huge. What are the chances that the fly would land right there? Seems to me that God heard my rather frivolous prayer. I shouldn’t be surprised. Loves does such little favors.

This unusual event bolstered my belief that God hears and answers our prayers. The same loving Father who sent his Son into the world to save us—a marvelous fact that we spend Advent pondering—still cares for us…and individually.

As Jesus said, “What father among you, if his son asks for bread, would give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, would give him a snake instead of the fish?” (Luke 11:11) and “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you” (Matthew 7:7).

Then again, sometimes in his wisdom God answers our prayer with No, Not yet, I have a better idea, or, as former President Jimmy Carter noted, God might say, “Are you kidding?”

• When has God answered a simple prayer for you?