Dear Diary,
This morning after Mass, our reading club met under the apple tree behind St. Mary’s, though the sky looked ready to rain. The clouds were low and gray, and Father LeRoy kept glancing upward.
Robert came hurrying across the grass a little late, carrying a croissant box from the Breakfast Club and a jar of cold Golden Rule Jersey milk.
“Well,” Father said, “late arrivals are forgiven more quickly when they bring breakfast. But we had better not waste time.”
Sister Mary Claire spread the napkins while Robert passed around the croissants and Father poured the milk. We ate quickly because the air already felt heavy and damp.
Then Father nodded to me.
“Kathy, will you read your chapter summary?”
So I stood by the apple tree and began.
“Today’s chapter is about something that seemed small at first but became very important. While the miracles at Lourdes were taking place, the Prefect, Baron Massy, decided he wanted new stables for his horses. Instead of choosing a proper place, he built them on consecrated ground near the Cathedral, where priests and noble families had been buried.
Monseigneur Laurence was deeply troubled. He said the dead should be left in peace, and the people praying in the Cathedral should not have to hear horses nearby. But the Prefect would not admit he was wrong.
At last the Bishop protested firmly. After many months, the stables were torn down, and grass grew again over the cemetery. But the friendship between the Bishop and the Prefect was broken. The chapter teaches that even small wrongs can lead to great trouble when pride refuses correction.”
When I finished, the wind moved through the apple leaves.
Father LeRoy said, “Pride does not like to be corrected, even when it is standing on holy ground.”
Sister Mary Claire said the Bishop showed courage and patience. Robert said it was strange how a stable could become part of the Lourdes story.
Then the first drops tapped the leaves. Father said we had better close at once, so I read the prayer:
“Dear Jesus, keep pride far from our hearts. Help us to respect what is holy, to listen when we are corrected, and to choose peace instead of stubbornness. Bless our reading club, our parish, and all who are trying to follow You. Amen.”
Father LeRoy lifted his hand and blessed us.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. May Almighty God bless you and keep you, and bring you safely home. Amen.”
No sooner had he finished than the clouds let loose. We gathered our books and napkins in a hurry.
Robert shouted, “To the pickup!”
Sister Mary Claire held her veil with one hand and my book with the other. Father tucked the empty croissant box under his arm, and Mini ran ahead as if she had been waiting for the signal.
We sprinted across the wet grass to Robert’s pickup, laughing and slipping a little. The rain drummed on the roof, and the apple tree disappeared behind a silver curtain of water.
It was a short meeting, but I will remember it. Sometimes God sends the lesson, the blessing, and the rain all in the same morning.
Love,
Kathy
Dear Diary,
This morning after Holy Mass, our Reading Club met under the apple tree behind St. Mary’s. Father LeRoy opened with the Sign of the Cross, then asked me to read my summary.
“Today’s chapter is about Henry Busquet, a fifteen-year-old boy who was terribly sick. He had a dreadful sore on his neck and chest, and nothing the doctor tried could heal him. Henry wanted to go to Lourdes, but he was too weak, so a neighbor brought him water from the spring.
That night Henry and his family knelt and prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Then Henry washed his sores with the Lourdes water and went to sleep full of hope. In the morning, his pain was gone, the sores were closed, and the swellings had disappeared. The doctors said the cure could not be explained by nature.
Henry stayed well. Years later he was strong, working as a plasterer and singing while he worked. He never forgot that he owed his life to Our Lady.”
When I finished, everyone was quiet. Father said Henry’s simple faith was beautiful. Sister Mary Claire said Our Lady’s kindness reached even the sick who could not come to the Grotto.
Then Sister brought out blueberry muffins made from berries from their garden. Robert had picked up a half gallon of Jersey milk and packed it in ice so it would be extra cold. What a treat!
Before we left, Father asked me to read the closing prayer.
“O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the sick and sorrowful, help us trust in Jesus with simple hearts. When we are weak, bring us near to Him. When God gives us any grace, help us never forget to thank Him. Amen.”
Father blessed us and dismissed the club.
I kept thinking of Henry singing from the scaffolding. Maybe gratitude has its own music.
Love,
Kathy
Dear Diary,
This morning after Holy Mass, we met under the apple tree again for St. Mary’s Reading Club. Mini sat by my shoes, Shaggycoat held his book of trees, and Omelette scratched in the grass as if lunch crumbs were already there.
Father LeRoy began by asking us to close our eyes and imagine we were at Lourdes. He told us to picture the road, the crowd, the Grotto, and Bernadette kneeling before Our Lady. Then he said, “Let Our Lady speak to your hearts.”
I am not sure I heard anything exactly, but I did feel almost as if I were in France, standing near the rocks of Massabielle. When Father told us to open our eyes, we were back under the apple tree, with Iowa all around us.
Then I read my chapter summary.
“Today’s chapter tells about the peace that came over Lourdes during the Apparitions. The book says there were no new crimes for the courts to punish, as if Our Lady had passed over the country and left her blessing.
It also tells about Bernadette. Many people came to question her, but nobody could make her seem false. She answered simply and sometimes cleverly, because she was telling the truth.
When someone said Our Lady could not know Bernadette’s village dialect, Bernadette answered that if God and Our Lady did not know it, how could anyone else know it? When someone mocked her for eating grass, she smiled and asked if they thought of that when they ate salad.
Best of all, Bernadette stayed a child. She did not become proud. She still went to school, played games, and lived simply. Our Lady gave her a great mission, but protected her innocence.”
When I finished, Father LeRoy said, “Grace made Bernadette more truly herself.”
Robert liked the part about peace coming over the whole countryside. Sister Mary Claire said Our Lady’s peace begins in the heart and can spread farther than we know.
Then Father asked what we noticed most.
I said, “She didn’t try to be important.”
Sister Mary Claire smiled and said, “Yes. She told the truth, and then went back to being a child.”
After that came the funny part. Everyone thought someone else had brought lunch. Robert thought Sister Mary Claire had it. Sister Mary Claire thought Father had arranged it. Father thought Robert had brought something in the truck.
There was no lunch.
Father laughed first, and then we all did too.
“Well,” he said, “today we have had spiritual food.”
Robert said, “Father, that’s true, but spiritual food doesn’t go very far with a corgi.”
Mini agreed completely.
Father closed with a prayer, asking Our Lady to help us keep simple hearts like Bernadette. Then he blessed us, and we gathered our books.
On the walk home, my stomach was a little empty, but my heart felt full.
I kept thinking about Bernadette. She had been trusted with heavenly things, yet she stayed simple, truthful, obedient, and childlike.
Maybe that is what Our Lady wants from us too.
Love,
Kathy
Dear Diary,
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
Dear Diary,
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
Dear Diary,
This morning after Holy Mass, our Reading Club met under the apple tree.
Father LeRoy asked me to read my summary. I am getting more comfortable doing that now, and I do not mind standing up in front of everyone anymore.
The chapter told how Lourdes was changing people. Many returned to the Sacraments, old sins were confessed, stolen things were returned, and people were growing closer to God.
Then came the remarkable story of Bernadette and the candle.
While she was in ecstasy before Our Lady, the flame burned between her fingers for many minutes. Everyone could see it, but her hand was not harmed. When someone later touched the flame to her hand after the vision ended, she quickly pulled away and said it was burning her.
Father LeRoy said this was one of the most striking events at Lourdes because so many people witnessed it.
Robert said that ten thousand people gathering without being invited showed how interested everyone had become.
Sister Mary Claire said the greatest miracle was not the candle, but the conversions taking place in people's hearts.
I thought she was probably right.
After our discussion, Father served lunch. He brought a pitcher of Kool-Aid and a bag of Chips Ahoy cookies. Mini sat beside us hoping a cookie might accidentally fall to the grass and one did from Robert.
Before we left, Father asked me to read the closing prayer.
"Dear Jesus, thank You for bringing us together today. Help us to grow in faith, hope, and love. Bless Father LeRoy, Sister Mary Claire, Robert, Mini, and all our friends. May Our Lady of Lourdes always lead us closer to You. Amen."
Everyone answered, "Amen."
Father gave us his blessing and dismissed the club until next time.
Then we gathered our books and headed home.
Love,
Kathy
Dear Diary,
This morning after Holy Mass, our Reading Club met under the apple tree.
Father LeRoy asked me to read my summary, and I did not feel as nervous as before. I think I am getting more comfortable reading in front of everyone.
My summary was about Bishop Laurence. He was not ready to decide too quickly about Lourdes because he had not seen the miracles himself. He wanted to wait and be careful.
He also did not want to forbid Bernadette from going to the Grotto if Heaven was truly calling her there. I thought that was very wise.
Afterward, Father LeRoy brought tapioca pudding with whipped cream for lunch. We had more cold Jersey milk from Golden Rule Dairy too. It comes right from the bulk tank at the dairy barn, and it is very rich.
Before we left, Father asked me to read the prayer.
Dear Jesus, help us to be patient, truthful, and wise. Bless Father LeRoy, Sister Mary Claire, Robert, Mini, and our Reading Club. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. Amen.
It was a peaceful morning under the apple tree.
Love,
Kathy
