This morning after Holy Mass, our Reading Club gathered in the apple orchard.
Father LeRoy looked around at all of us and said, “Today I want you to use your imagination. Good books can take us places. When we read about Lourdes, we should try to see it, hear it, and almost feel ourselves there.”
That sounded wonderful to me.
Mini lay beside my feet, her ears perked up as if she understood every word. Shaggycoat sat nearby with his book, Little Logs, resting on his lap.
Father LeRoy opened with a prayer.
“Dear Jesus, bless our Reading Club today. Help us read with quiet hearts and lively minds. Let these pages carry us closer to Our Lady and closer to You. Amen.”
“Amen,” we all answered.
Then Father smiled at me.
“Kathy, would you read your summary?”
I stood up with my paper. At first I felt a little nervous, but then I remembered what Father had said. I looked down at the words and tried to see the story in my mind.
All at once, it was almost like magic.
I could picture the road to the Rocks of Massabielle, crowded with people, but not noisy or wild. They were praying, singing hymns, and honoring Our Lady. Even the policemen could only report that the people were peaceful and recollected.
Then I read my summary.
“The road to the Grotto was full of pilgrims, but they came with prayer, not disorder. The people sang hymns and litanies, and there was a spirit of quiet devotion.
“The workmen of Lourdes wanted everyone to reach the Grotto more easily, so after working hard all day, they spent their evenings widening the road. They broke rocks, pushed wheelbarrows, and labored on the steep hillside.
“When someone asked who would pay them, they answered, ‘The Blessed Virgin.’
“Before going home, they all went down into the Grotto and prayed together.
“Little by little, the Grotto became more beautiful. People brought flowers, candles, statues, crosses, and offerings of gratitude. Money was left there for the chapel Our Lady had asked for, and no one stole it. The place had become so holy in the hearts of the people that even thieves seemed to keep away.”
As I read, I could almost hear the pilgrims singing. I could see the men working on the rocky path after their long day’s labor. I could see candles glowing, flowers tucked among the stones, and the statue of Our Lady watching over everything.
For a little while, I forgot we were sitting in the apple orchard at all.
When I reached the end of my summary, the picture slowly faded, and once again I saw Father LeRoy smiling at me, Sister Mary Claire listening carefully, Robert nodding his head, Mini lying at my feet, and Shaggycoat holding his book.
Father LeRoy smiled.
“That,” he said, “is exactly what good books do. They help us travel without leaving our chairs.”
Sister Mary Claire said she could almost hear the pilgrims praying.
Robert said he liked the part about the workmen best.
“They worked all day,” he said, “and then spent their rest building a road for Our Lady. That is real devotion.”
Father LeRoy nodded.
“Yes,” he said. “They were not just building a road through stone. They were helping build a road for souls.”
That made everyone quiet for a moment.
Then Robert reached into the basket he had brought along and set a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the table. Beside them, he placed a quart jar of cold Jersey milk from the dairy down the road.
“Father,” Robert said with a smile, handing him the jar, “be sure to shake it before you pour. It is about half cream on top.”
Father LeRoy gave the jar a good shake and laughed.
“Now that is real Jersey milk,” he said. “You can almost stand a spoon up in it.”
Everyone smiled as Father poured the rich, creamy milk into our glasses. The chocolate chip cookies and the cold Jersey milk made a perfect treat.
Mini watched every bite very carefully, hoping someone might accidentally drop a cookie crumb and Robert did just that. Shaggycoat looked up from Little Logs long enough to enjoy the happy chatter before settling back into his book.
Before we left, Father asked me to read the closing prayer.
“Dear Jesus, thank You for Holy Mass, for our Reading Club, and for books that help us travel in our hearts. Help us to be like the workmen of Lourdes, willing to give our time and strength for love of You and Our Lady. Teach us to build roads that lead others closer to Heaven. Bless Father LeRoy, Sister Mary Claire, Robert, Mini, Shaggycoat, and all our friends. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. Amen.”
Everyone answered, “Amen.”
As we walked home, I kept thinking about that road to the Grotto.
The workmen thought they were only moving stones.
But maybe every stone they moved helped someone find the way to God.
Love,
Kathy
No comments:
Post a Comment