This morning was so cold it felt like the air could crack as it was minus 6 degrees. I opened the door just a little to peek out, and the wind rushed in like it wanted to live with us. Mini took one brave step, then chose the rug like a sensible girl. Sister Mary Claire smiled and said Mini was “as wise as a little saint.”
Today the plan was to attend evening Mass, because by then it would at least be above zero. We kept the day careful and quiet—quick chores, and steady stove. When Robert picked us up, it felt like a true kindness on a day like this. Mini came too, sitting so proper and alert, like she understood where we were going.
When we got to church, it felt like stepping into a safe, warm pocket of the world. Father LeRoy’s homily followed today's meditation and I understood it better than I expected. He said people can get mixed up and think loving God is mostly long prayers or sweet feelings—and then they get discouraged when they’re busy, or when prayer feels dry. But Jesus Himself tells us the truest proof of love is to keep His commandments—to do God’s will faithfully, even in plain duties, even without consolations. That kind of obedience is love that doesn’t depend on feelings.
I brought my prayer book too, and I said the Holy Communion prayers before and after. Before, I asked for help to make a good Communion and tried to be very still inside. After Communion, I thanked Jesus for coming so close, and I asked Him to help me show my love in the simple ways He asks of me—being prompt, not complaining, and offering little sacrifices gladly.
And when Mass was finished, and I stepped out of the church door into the cold evening air, I didn’t want to leave Jesus behind—not even for a minute. So I whispered the sweetest line from my prayer book, as if it could be my little hand holding His:
“Sweet Jesus, I am going away for a time, but I trust not without You.”
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