Today after Holy Mass, Father LeRoy said we were going to have Reading Club at Indian Creek.
He said he’d been hearing me talk so much about my creek and my cave that he thought maybe it was time he saw the place for himself. Then he smiled and said a little walk would be good exercise for his old bones.
Robert couldn’t come with us this time. He was cultivating and had to go straight home after Mass. I felt sorry he missed it, because it was one of the prettiest meetings we’ve had yet.
Sister Mary Claire walked beside me, and Mini trotted ahead like she was the official guide. Omelette came along too, pecking here and there as if she had important business of her own. And when we got near the creek, there was Shaggycoat, busy in the water, working on his lodge like a proper little builder.
Father stood for a minute looking at the creek, the trees, and the cave above the bank.
“Well, Kathy,” he said, “I believe you were right. This is a fine place for a reading club.”
We sat where we could hear the water moving over the stones. Sister spread out the books, and Father asked me to read the little summary I had prepared from today’s chapter.
So I took a breath and read:
“Today’s chapter tells us that, after Bernadette’s visions at Lourdes, some other people said they had seen visions too. A few good young women believed they had seen something holy. Some children also had visions, but those seemed different and even frightening.
The book teaches us that when God is doing something beautiful and true, the devil sometimes tries to confuse people with imitations. But the false things do not last.
The real message of Lourdes remained simple and clear. Our Lady had come to Bernadette. The spring had appeared. Prayer and penance were being asked for. The other strange stories faded away by themselves.
That is a comfort to me, because truth does not need to shout. It only needs to remain faithful.”
When I finished, Father nodded slowly.
“That is very well said,” he told me. “The Church is always careful. She does not run after every wonder. She waits, prays, watches, and tests.”
Sister Mary Claire said that was a mercy, because sometimes people can be excited by things that are not from God at all. She said true grace usually leaves the soul more humble, more peaceful, and more obedient.
I liked that.
Mini was not thinking about visions or obedience. She was thinking about the snack basket.
Sister had brought Old Home Twinkies and cold Jersey milk in a jar wrapped with a towel. Father poured the milk carefully, and I could see the creaminess of it right away.
We each had a Twinkie, and Father said it had been many years since he had eaten one by a creek.
Mini sat very still and hopeful.
I am almost certain her thought was, “Can’t beat that.”
Omelette found a crumb and took it very seriously. Shaggycoat slapped his tail once in the creek, as if he approved of the meeting, and then went right back to work on his lodge.
Before we left, Father asked us to be quiet for a moment. The creek kept praying in its own way, and the leaves moved softly over us.
Then Father said, “Lord, keep us close to what is true. Help us not be troubled by confusion, but to follow You with simple hearts.”
And we all said, “Amen.”
I think Indian Creek is a very good place for Reading Club.
Maybe even one of the best.
Love,
Kathy
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