The Sign of The Cross

This morning at Mass, Father LeRoy talked about making the Sign of the Cross.

I’ve made the Sign of the Cross ever since I was little, so I guess I never thought much about it. But Father reminded us that it’s actually something very important.

When we make the Sign of the Cross, we’re telling the world that we belong to Jesus Christ. We’re not trying to show off. We’re simply not hiding our faith.

Later on, I was reading about the Mystery of the Cross, and it fit right in with Father’s homily.

The chapter said that when Jesus died on the Cross, many people thought He had been defeated. To them, it looked like everything was over. But God turned the Cross into a sign of victory.

Today the Cross is known all over the world. Saints loved it. Martyrs held onto it, even when it cost them their lives. And regular people, like us, still find comfort and hope in it every day.

Father LeRoy said it’s important for people to know that we’re believers. That doesn’t mean we have to make a big show of it. Sometimes it can be something as simple as making the Sign of the Cross before lunch at a restaurant. Or wearing a crucifix around our neck. Or speaking kindly when everyone else is grumbling and complaining.

Little things can tell people a lot about what’s in our hearts.

I think that’s what Father was trying to teach us. The Cross shouldn’t just hang on a wall. It should be part of the way we live.

Sometimes it’s easy to be a Catholic when you’re sitting in church with everyone else. But it can be a little harder when you’re out in public.

Still, Jesus wasn’t ashamed to carry His Cross for me. So I don’t want to be ashamed to show that I belong to Him.

Mini is never embarrassed to stay close to the people she loves. Maybe I should be more like that too.

So today I want to remember this:

Make the Sign of the Cross slowly.

Mean it.

Jesus carried the Cross for me.

So I’ll make the Sign of the Cross for Him.

Books, Blueberries, and Good Friends

Dear Diary,

This morning after Holy Mass, our Reading Club met beneath the old apple tree behind St. Mary’s Church. The branches were full of green leaves, and little patches of sunshine danced across the grass. Mini came along too and settled herself near my chair, keeping watch over everyone as if she were assistant librarian for the club.

Father LeRoy opened the meeting with a smile.

“Well, Kathy,” he said, “would you read your introduction to today’s chapter for us?”

I stood up with my notes, feeling a little nervous, and read my summary of the chapter from Our Lady of Lourdes. It told about how the events at Lourdes were beginning to attract the attention of important officials far away from the grotto. Some people believed, while others doubted, but the story showed how the truth could not be ignored forever.

When I finished, Father LeRoy nodded thoughtfully.

“That was very well done,” he said. “You helped us understand the chapter clearly.”

Then we talked about it together.

Robert said he was surprised at how much effort some government officials made to explain away the happenings at Lourdes.

“It seems,” he said, “that the more they investigated, the more people became interested.”

Sister Mary Claire agreed.

“Sometimes,” she said, “when people are certain something cannot be true, they stop looking at the evidence with an open mind.”

Father LeRoy added that faith and reason should work together.

“God is not afraid of honest questions,” he said. “The Church has always encouraged careful investigation before declaring a miracle.”

I thought that was one reason the Lourdes story is so interesting. The more the authorities examined it, the more witnesses and facts seemed to appear.

Mini listened quietly through the discussion. At least I think she was listening. She looked very serious, although she may have been hoping someone would drop a snack.

After the chapter discussion, Sister Mary Claire brought out a simple little lunch. She served bowls of creamy yogurt topped with fresh blueberries. Everyone enjoyed them while we sat under the tree talking about books, faith, and the beautiful summer morning.

Before we parted, Father LeRoy stood and folded his hands.

“Kathy,” he said, “would you read our closing prayer?”

So I opened my prayer book and read slowly:

“Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for this happy morning beneath the apple tree. Thank You for good books, faithful friends, and the gift of learning more about Our Lady of Lourdes. Bless Father LeRoy, Sister Mary Claire, Robert, and little Mini. Help us always love the truth, seek You with sincere hearts, and grow closer to You each day. Through the prayers of Our Blessed Mother, keep us faithful and joyful. Amen.”

Everyone answered, “Amen.”

Then we gathered our books, gave Mini a few pats, and headed home, already looking forward to our next meeting beneath the apple tree.

Love,

Kathy

Immaculate Conception

Dear Diary,

This morning after Holy Mass, the Readers Club met again under the apple tree behind the Church.  We settled ourselves in the grass and Mini curled up beside me, looking very serious, as if she knew this was an important chapter.

Father LeRoy had me open our Reading Club discussion with my chapter summery.

So I stood with my paper and read.

“Today’s chapter is about the wonderful words Our Lady said to Bernadette: I am the Immaculate Conception.

The book says that Our Lady did not say, ‘I am Mary, the Immaculate.’ She said something even deeper. She said, ‘I am the Immaculate Conception,’ as if purity was not only something she had, but something she was.

The chapter explains it in a way I liked very much. Something white can stop being white, but whiteness itself is always white. In the same way, Mary is not only pure. She is like purity itself, because God made her without any stain of original sin.

Then the chapter tells something very dear about Bernadette. She did not even know what the words Immaculate Conception meant. But because Our Lady had said them, Bernadette wanted to remember them exactly. So all the way back to Lourdes, step after step, she kept repeating, ‘Immaculate Conception, Immaculate Conception,’ so she would not forget before she reached the priest.”

When I finished, the group was quiet for a moment.

Sister Mary Claire folded her hands and said, “That part about Bernadette repeating the words is so dear. She did not understand them, but she was faithful to them. Sometimes obedience begins before understanding.”

Robert nodded. “She didn’t try to improve the message or explain it in her own way. She just carried the words exactly as Our Lady gave them.”

Father LeRoy smiled. “That is a very important point. Bernadette was poor, young, and uneducated, but she became a faithful messenger. The words themselves were far beyond her learning.”

I looked down at my paper and said, “I think Bernadette must have been afraid of forgetting. I can just see her walking quickly and whispering the words over and over.”

Sister Mary Claire said, “And perhaps each step became like a little prayer.”

That made me happy, because I had been thinking almost the same thing.

Then Father explained that the Church had solemnly taught the dogma of the Immaculate Conception only a few years before the apparitions at Lourdes. “So when Our Lady used those very words,” he said, “it was like Heaven itself was confirming what the Church had proclaimed.”

After the discussion, Sister Mary Claire brought out Baked Just Right chocolate chip cookies and served them with cold milk. The cookies were soft and sweet, and the milk was so cold that the glasses had little beads of water on them. Mini watched carefully, but Sister told her that cookies were not for Corgis, even very faithful ones and then slipped her a puppy treat.

Before we ended, Father LeRoy asked me to read the Club prayer. So I unfolded my paper and read:

 

 
Father made the Sign of the Cross, gave the dismissal, and we all gathered our books.

As I walked away from the apple tree, I kept thinking of Bernadette hurrying along the road, repeating the words at every step.

Immaculate Conception. Immaculate Conception.

I hope I can remember holy things that carefully too.

Love,
Kathy

 

She Tells Us Her Name

Dear Diary,

This morning after Holy Mass, our Reading Club met again under the apple tree behind St. Mary’s. It was a beautiful place to read about Lourdes, because the leaves made a soft roof over us, and the light came through in little patches on the grass. Mini settled beside my chair as usual, watching everything as if she were the official club guard.

Father LeRoy asked me to begin with the little introduction I had written for today’s chapter.

So I stood up with my paper and read:

“Today’s chapter tells about March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation. Since the last day of the Quinzaine, Bernadette had gone back to the Grotto several times, but not in the same way as before. She had not felt that strong inward call that had drawn her there during the Apparitions.

“But on this morning, she heard the call again. She went at once to Massabielle, full of hope, because she felt she was going to see the beautiful Lady once more.

“By this time, everyone in Lourdes watched Bernadette closely. When people saw her walking toward the Grotto, they said, ‘Bernadette is going to the Grotto,’ and soon a crowd hurried after her.

“The snow had melted in the valley, though it still rested on the mountain peaks. The sky was clear, and the morning was bright. It was the Feast of the Annunciation, when the Church remembers the Angel Gabriel coming to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“At the Grotto, Bernadette saw the Apparition again. She asked several times, ‘O Lady, would you have the kindness to tell me who you are and what is your name?’ At first the Lady only smiled and grew more radiant. Then at last she joined her hands, raised her eyes toward Heaven, and said, ‘I am the Immaculate Conception.’

“This was the answer everyone had been waiting for. The beautiful Lady of the Grotto was the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

When I finished, no one spoke right away. It seemed as if the words were still resting under the apple tree with us.

Then Sister Mary Claire said, “What a beautiful thing, that Our Lady gave her name on the Feast of the Annunciation. On that day, Mary first said yes to God. And at Lourdes, she came again to lead souls back to Him.”

Father LeRoy nodded. “And we must remember,” he said, “that Bernadette was only a poor, simple child. She did not invent those words. ‘I am the Immaculate Conception’ was far beyond what she would have understood on her own. That is one reason the words were so powerful.”

Robert said, “It makes me think of how Heaven speaks simply, but deeply. The Lady did not give a long speech. She only said who she was, and that was enough.”

Father smiled. “Yes, Robert. Sometimes the greatest truths come in the fewest words.”

Sister added, “And Bernadette kept asking humbly. She did not demand. She said, ‘Would you have the kindness?’ That is a good lesson for prayer too.”

I liked that very much. Bernadette was brave, but she was never proud. She was little before Heaven, and maybe that is why Heaven could use her.

After the discussion, Father LeRoy suddenly said, “One moment,” and hurried into the rectory. We all looked at one another, wondering what he was doing. A few minutes later he came back carrying a tray with twelve banana splits he had made beforehand.

There were bananas, ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and cherries on top. Mini sat up very straight when she saw them, but Sister Mary Claire told her that banana splits were not part of a Corgi’s vocation.

Father said, “A feast day deserves a feast.”

Everyone laughed, and we ate slowly under the apple tree. I thought it was one of the happiest Reading Club days we have had.

When we were finished, Father asked me to read the Reading Club prayer before he dismissed us. So I unfolded the paper and read:
 

Father made the Sign of the Cross and gave the dismissal. Everyone began gathering books and spoons and empty dishes, but I stayed still for a moment under the apple tree.

Today we had read the words: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

And somehow, even in our little churchyard in Iowa, it felt as if Lourdes had come very near.

Love, 

Kathy

Watching Lourdes from the Apple Tree

 
Dear Diary,

This morning after Holy Mass, our Reading Club met again beneath the apple tree behind St. Mary’s. The shade was cool, the leaves were rustling, and Mini took her usual place beside me as if she had been appointed guardian of the meeting.

Robert surprised everyone by coming with a box of fresh doughnuts with chocolate frosting.

“These are to make up for the day-olds,” he said.

Father LeRoy laughed and said, “A penance well performed, Robert.”

After we settled down, Father asked me to read my little chapter introduction.

Today’s chapter began with a change in the weather at Lourdes. For many days the Apparitions had been favored with beautiful sunshine, but on March fifth, snow came and fewer people could go to the Grotto. Yet the miracles did not stop. In fact, the cures increased.

I told about Benoîte Cazeaux, who had been sick in bed for three years and was considered incurable. After drinking the water from the Grotto and using it with faith, she was suddenly well. I also told about Blaisette Soupenne, whose eyes had suffered terribly for years. Doctors and remedies had failed her, but after she turned to Our Lady and used the water, she was cured.

When I finished, Sister Mary Claire said softly, “The snow slowed the footsteps of the people, but it could not stop the mercy of God.”

Father LeRoy nodded. “That is the lesson. God’s grace does not depend on sunshine. Sometimes His greatest works appear when everything outwardly looks cold and discouraging.”

Robert said he kept thinking about how the doctors had done all they could. “But what men could not do,” he said, “God did.”

Father answered, “True miracles do not insult reason. They remind reason that God is greater than nature, because He made nature.”

We were all quiet after that. Even Mini seemed thoughtful, though she may have been thinking about the doughnuts.

Before we finished, Father asked me to read the prayer I had written yesterday. So I unfolded my paper and read:

Afterward, Father made the Sign of the Cross and said, “That is a good prayer,  it will be our official Readers Club Prayer.  

I tucked the paper back inside my book. Beneath the apple tree, with the pages of Our Lady of Lourdes open before us, it felt as if the Grotto had come a little nearer.

Love,
Kathy

Truth Beneath the Apple Tree

Dear Diary

This morning after Holy Mass, our Reading Club met in its regular place beneath the big apple tree behind St. Mary’s Church. The morning air was fresh, and the leaves made little moving shadows on the grass. Mini settled beside me as if she had been appointed official club watchdog.

Father LeRoy smiled and said, “Kathy, would you read your chapter summary for us?”

So I stood with my notes and read.

This chapter was about how some of the unbelievers at Lourdes did not want to face the real miracles. The cures were being talked about everywhere, and people kept coming to the Grotto. But instead of honestly looking into what had happened, certain newspaper writers began making up strange stories that nobody at Lourdes had ever claimed.

They ignored the real cures and the real people who had been healed. Instead, they printed silly and frightening tales so they could laugh at them later and pretend they had disproved everything.

When I finished, Robert shook his head. “If the facts were on their side,” he said, “they would not have needed to invent anything.”

Sister Mary Claire said softly, “Truth does not need tricks. But pride often does.”

Father LeRoy nodded. “And the Church is careful with miracles,” he told us. “God performs them. The Church does not make them true. She only investigates and judges carefully.”

That made the chapter easier for me to understand.

After our discussion, Father LeRoy went into the parish hall and came back rolling out his old White Mountain ice cream maker. Everyone smiled because we knew something good was coming.

Then Father brought out several boxes of doughnuts and told us what had happened.

“I stopped by the bakery last night just before closing,” he said. “The doughnuts were marked half price, so I thought I would buy some for the Reading Club.”

Then he grinned.

“But when Sasha heard they were for our Reading Club, he would not let me pay. He said they were on the house.”

Everyone thought that was so kind of him.

The doughnuts had been made the old-fashioned way with beef tallow, and they were wonderful. The outside was lightly crisp and golden, while the inside stayed soft and fluffy. They tasted rich and warm in the way old-fashioned food always seems to taste better.

Soon we were eating Sasha’s doughnuts with homemade vanilla ice cream under the apple tree. Mini sat very still beside me, watching every bite and hoping someone might drop a crumb from breakfast.

Before we left, Father LeRoy handed me a prayer that he wrote and asked me to read it.

Then we gathered our books, said goodbye until tomorrow, and headed home.

It was a lovely morning.

Love,

Kathy

When The Truth Stood

Dear Diary,

Today our Reading Club met again outdoors under the Apple Tree behind St. Mary’s. The branches made a green roof over us, and the little shadows moved all over the grass whenever the breeze came through. Father LeRoy brought Krispy Kreme doughnuts, coffee for the grown-ups, and hot chocolate for the rest of us. Mini sat close by, looking very hopeful every time someone picked up a doughnut.

Before we began, Father LeRoy asked me to read my overview of the chapter. I felt a little shy, but I had written it carefully, so I stood up with my paper and began.

This chapter was about the miracles at Lourdes after the spring began to heal people. At first, the government men and prosecutors had tried very hard to stop people from believing in the Apparition. They did not want anyone saying that Heaven had come so near to earth. But now the matter was different. The miracles were not hidden inside Bernadette’s heart, where only she could see them. They were happening in public, in sick people who were suddenly made well.

Some had been blind and could see again. Some had been lame and could walk. Some had been very near death and were restored. These were not little rumors whispered in corners. Everyone could look at them, ask questions, and investigate.

That is what struck me most. If the officials really believed the miracles were false, then this was their chance. They could have examined everything. They could have questioned the healed people, their families, the doctors, and the witnesses. They could have tried to prove that it was all a mistake.

But they did not.

The chapter says they did nothing because unbelief can be very cautious. It may speak loudly when the truth seems far away, but when the truth stands right in front of it, it becomes afraid. The officials had been bold against Bernadette, a poor little girl. But when the cures became plain and public, they stepped back.

I thought about that for a long time.

It made me think that sometimes people do not disbelieve because there is not enough light. Sometimes they disbelieve because they do not want to open their eyes. The chapter says that even the sun cannot make a person see if he shuts his eyes on purpose. That made me feel quiet inside.

I do not want to be like that. I do not want to turn away from the truth just because it asks something of me. If God gives light, I want to receive it. If He shows His mercy, I want to be grateful. And if He does something wonderful, I do not want to shrug my shoulders and pretend I did not see.

After I finished reading, no one spoke for a moment. Even Mini was still.

Then Father LeRoy said, “That is a very important lesson, Kathy. Faith is not only about seeing. It is also about being willing to see.”

Sister Mary Claire nodded and said that a proud heart can hide from God even in broad daylight, but a humble heart can find Him in a quiet place, even under an apple tree.

Robert said he thought the chapter was almost like a courtroom scene, except that the people who wanted to accuse Lourdes were afraid to bring the case to trial. Father smiled at that and said, “Sometimes silence tells the truth better than an argument.”

Then we had our doughnuts and hot chocolate. The doughnuts were soft and sweet, and I got a little powdered sugar on my paper, but I did not mind. It looked like a tiny white snowflake had fallen right on Lourdes.

When the meeting was over, Father LeRoy stood beneath the Apple Tree and took off his hat. We all grew quiet. The leaves moved softly above us, and the afternoon seemed very still.

Then Father prayed:

“Dear Lord Jesus,
You are the Truth and the Light of the world.
Keep our hearts humble before Your works.
Do not let us close our eyes when You are near.
Teach us to welcome Your grace with faith,
to recognize Your mercy with gratitude,
and to follow You with courage.
Bless our little Reading Club,
bless all who suffer,
and bring every soul closer to Your Sacred Heart.
Amen.”