I Will Not Leave You Orphans

Dear Diary,

Today was one of the prettiest spring days we have had yet at Camp Littlemore Farm. The sky was bright blue over the fields, and now the rows of corn can finally be seen coming up out of the rich black Iowa dirt. From far away the little green rows almost looked stitched across the fields like careful lines on a quilt.

Robert picked the three of us up as usual and right on time for morning Mass at St. Mary’s. Mini came too, of course, and she sat close beside me in the truck with her little ears flapping softly in the breeze from the open window. Sister Mary Claire brought along a small basket with fresh muffins wrapped in a towel for Robert and Father LeRoy.

During his homily, Father LeRoy explained today’s Gospel reading. He said Jesus knew His disciples would someday feel frightened and lonely when they could no longer see Him walking beside them. But Jesus promised He would never truly leave them alone. Father said when Our Lord spoke about sending the Advocate, He meant the Holy Spirit, who stays close to us even when we cannot see Him.

Father LeRoy said the world often wants proof it can touch and hold, but God quietly works inside the soul instead. He told us that whenever we choose kindness, obey God, pray honestly, or turn away from sin, the Holy Spirit is already helping us. “You are never abandoned by God,” he said softly from the pulpit. “Not even for one moment.”

On the drive home, the discussion continued while Robert drove slowly past the bright green fields. Sister Mary Claire said she liked the part where Jesus said, “I will not leave you orphans.” She said those words should make every lonely person feel comforted. Robert nodded and said there are times in life when people feel forgotten, but God never truly leaves His children behind.

Mini rested her chin on my arm almost the whole way home while the warm spring air drifted through the open cab window.

This afternoon I walked out near the fields awhile and listened to the meadowlarks singing from the fence posts. The corn rows looked stronger already in the sunshine. It felt peaceful standing there in Mary’s beautiful month of May with the breeze moving through the grass.

Tonight the farmhouse is quiet except for the frogs down near the Creek and the ticking kitchen clock.

Evening Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank You for promising never to leave us alone. Please send Your Holy Spirit to guide our hearts and help us stay close to You. Bless Father LeRoy, Sister Mary Claire, Robert, and little Mini tonight. And thank You for the green fields, the spring sunshine, and our dear Blessed Mother during this lovely month of May. Amen.

_____________

Today’s Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Caleb’s Homemade Goodness at the Breakfast Club - May 9

Dear Diary,

Today Robert gave all three of us a ride to St. Mary’s for Holy Mass — Sister Mary Claire, Mini, and me. Mini sat very neatly and quiet, as if she knew we were going to see Our Lord.

Father LeRoy read the Holy Gospel from Saint John, where Jesus tells His disciples that the world may hate them because it hated Him first. That sounded sad at first, and a little frightening too. But Father LeRoy explained that Jesus was not trying to scare His friends. He was telling them the truth ahead of time, so their hearts would not be surprised or broken when following Him became hard.

Father said that belonging to Jesus means we cannot belong to the world in the same way. We may still live in the world, do our chores, eat our breakfast, laugh with our friends, and walk down the same roads, but our hearts must belong to Our Lord first. Father said the world does not always understand a soul that wants to love Jesus, pray, forgive, be pure, and choose Heaven over praise.

On the way home, Sister Mary Claire said that Jesus chose His friends “out of the world,” not because He wanted them lonely, but because He wanted them close to Himself. Robert said a person can take courage from that. If Jesus was misunderstood, then a Christian should not be too surprised when he is misunderstood too.

After Mass, we stopped at the Breakfast Club in Littlemore, and I had a waffle. It was warm and golden, with butter melting into the little squares. Mini watched it very carefully, though she behaved like a lady. Then Caleb came out with a cheese plate for us, on the house. He has been making cheese, and the Breakfast Club even installed a cooler where they are selling his cheese, butter, and gourmet cookies. Sister Mary Claire said it was a fine thing when honest work becomes a blessing to other people.

I thought about how even a happy thing like a waffle and a little plate of cheese tastes better when the heart is peaceful with Jesus. The world may not always understand a soul that belongs to Him, but Jesus understands, and that is enough.

Tonight I am thinking that I do not want to be afraid of belonging to Our Lord. I want to be chosen by Him, even if it means I must be different from the world. If Jesus walks first, then I can walk after Him.

Evening Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank You for choosing me out of the world and keeping me close to Your Heart. Please help me not to be afraid when it is hard to follow You. Make me brave, kind, and faithful, and let my heart belong to You more than to anything else. Amen.

Love,
Kathy

 

_____________

Today’s Holy Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 15:18-21

Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

The Friend Who Chose Us

 

Dear Diary,

Today is Friday, May 8, and Robert picked the three of us up as usual and right on time for Holy Mass at St. Mary’s—Sister Mary Claire, Mini, and me. The morning was quiet, and I kept thinking how May is Mary’s month, and how she always leads us closer to Jesus.

Father LeRoy read the holy Gospel where Jesus says, “Love one another as I love you.” Father said this is not a small kind of love, but the love of Our Lord Himself. Jesus loved us so much that He laid down His life for us, and then He still stayed with us in the Blessed Sacrament, waiting in the tabernacle like the dearest Friend a soul could ever have.

Father said it is a wonderful thing that Jesus calls us His friends. He is the King of Heaven, and still He bends down to poor little souls and says, “You are my friends.” That made my heart feel very large and very happy, as if Jesus had made more room inside it for love.

On the way home, Sister Mary Claire explained that friendship with Jesus means we try to love the way He loves. We do not get to keep our hearts closed up tight and only love when it is easy. Jesus chose us first, and He wants us to bear fruit that will last. Sister said every patient word, every kind deed, and every little sacrifice made for love of Jesus can become fruit for Heaven.

Robert said the tabernacle lamp at St. Mary’s is like a quiet reminder that Jesus never stops loving first. Even when the church is empty and no one is kneeling there, He is still present and waiting. I thought that was beautiful, because real friendship does not run away when things are quiet or lonely.

Later today I thought about Mini too, because she is such a faithful little friend. She does not understand the Gospel, but she understands staying close. I want to stay close to Jesus like that, especially when He is waiting in the tabernacle.

Tonight I am asking Jesus to help me love better—not only in big brave ways, but in little farm-girl ways too.

Evening Prayer

Dear Jesus, my dearest Friend,
thank You for choosing me before I ever chose You.
Help me love others as You love me.
Teach me to be kind, patient, and faithful,
and let my little sacrifices bear fruit for Heaven.
Please bless Sister Mary Claire, Robert, Father LeRoy, and Mini,
and keep us close to Your Sacred Heart.

Good night, dear Jesus.
Stay with us in love.

Love,
Kathy

 

_________

Today’s Holy Gospel

A reading from
the holy Gospel according to John 15:12-17

Jesus said to his disciples: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Remaining in His Love

 

Dear Diary,

Today is Thursday, May 7.

Robert picked the three of us up as usual and right on time, and we went to St. Mary’s for Holy Mass. Mini came too and sat so quietly, with her bright eyes watching everything, as if she knew Our Lord had something sweet to tell us today.

Father LeRoy read the holy Gospel from Saint John, where Jesus says, “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.” Father said that Jesus was not speaking in a faraway way, but like someone opening His Sacred Heart and asking us to stay there. He said that to remain in Jesus’ love means not running off after our own will, but keeping His commandments because we love Him.

Father LeRoy explained that the commandments of Jesus are not cold rules. They are given by love, to keep us near the One who loves us most. Sister Mary Claire said later that maybe every soul needs a little fence around its heart—not a hard, cold fence, but a loving one. The commandments of Jesus help guard His love in us, just as the little fence around the old Council Oak guards something precious and remembered.

On the way home, Sister Mary Claire said that Jesus’ joy is complete because He is always in the Father’s love. She said Our Lord wants us to share in that same love, like children brought right into the warmth of a happy home. Robert said it made him think of how a fire stays bright if the wood remains close together, but dies down when a stick rolls away by itself.

After chores, I went to look at my little oak tree again. I can hardly believe it sprouted from an acorn I picked up last fall near the Council Oak monument in Sioux City. Sister Mary Claire and I have named it Sioux City Sue, which makes me smile every time I say it. It is still so small and tender that we both think a little chicken wire fence around it would suit it well, almost like a tiny country version of the fence around the great old Council Oak.

Mini sniffed around Sioux City Sue very carefully, and I told her she must not step on it, because maybe someday it will be a strong oak with birds in it. It made me think of the Gospel. A little tree must remain in good soil and be guarded while it grows, and I must remain in Jesus’ love and let Him guard my heart. If I stay close to Him, maybe something small in me can grow strong too.

Tonight I feel thankful for Our Lord’s words. He does not only command us. He loves us first, and then teaches us how to remain with Him.

Evening Prayer

Dear Jesus, please help me remain in Your love.
Put a little fence of grace around my heart,
so I may keep out the things that hurt Your love in me.
Help me obey You with joy.
Bless Sister Mary Claire, Robert, Father LeRoy, and dear Mini.
And please bless little Sioux City Sue,
that she may grow strong,
just as I hope my soul will grow strong in You.

Amen.

 

_____________

Today’s Holy Gospel Reading

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 15:9-11

Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Remaining on the Vine

 

Dear Diary,

Today is Wednesday, May 6, and Robert picked the three of us up as usual and right on time for Holy Mass at St. Mary’s — Sister Mary Claire, Mini, and me. This is the sixth day of Mary’s beautiful month of May, and I kept thinking how every spring flower seems to be trying to say a little Hail Mary.

Father LeRoy read the holy Gospel from Saint John, where Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.” In his homily, Father explained that a branch cannot stay alive by itself. It must remain joined to the vine, or it will dry up and bear no fruit. He said our souls are like that too. We must stay close to Jesus through prayer, Holy Mass, Confession, Holy Communion, and by keeping His words in our hearts.

Father LeRoy also said that when Our Lord “prunes” a soul, it does not mean He is being unkind. It means He is cutting away what keeps us from loving Him better. Sometimes a sacrifice, a disappointment, or a little correction can feel hard, but Jesus uses it to make our souls stronger and more fruitful.

On the way home, Robert and Sister Mary Claire explained it further. Robert said even on a farm, every living thing needs to be connected to its source of life. Sister said that Jesus is not only near us like a kind friend walking beside us. He wants us to remain in Him, like a branch joined to the vine. That made me think how close He wants to be to every soul.

Later in the morning, I followed Indian Creek downstream toward the cave. Mini came along happily, sniffing the damp grass and stopping now and then as if she had very important work to do. When we reached Our Lady’s Grotto, everything was quiet except the creek and the birds. Shaggycoat was there too, near the water, looking very wise and busy like beavers do.

I sat near the grotto with Mini close beside me and thought about the Gospel again. The vines and branches made more sense there, where everything growing seemed to belong to something bigger — roots, water, sunlight, and God’s care. I asked Our Lady to help me stay close to Jesus and not wander away like a little branch trying to live by itself.

Tonight I feel very thankful for St. Mary’s, for Father LeRoy’s homily, for Sister Mary Claire and Robert helping me understand, and for the quiet of Indian Creek. I want my soul to bear fruit for Jesus, even if it is only little fruit, like patience, kindness, obedience, and love.

Evening Prayer

Dear Jesus,

Please keep me close to You, like a little branch on the vine. I do not want to try to be good all by myself, because Father LeRoy said that without You we can do nothing.

Please cut away anything in me that is selfish or cross or lazy, even if it is hard for me at first. Help me bear good fruit for You tomorrow — maybe by being patient, kind, obedient, and loving.

Bless Sister Mary Claire, Robert, Father LeRoy, and Mini. Bless Our Lady’s Grotto by Indian Creek, and help me remember to stay close to You always.

Amen.

Love,
Kathy

_____________

Today’s Holy Gospel Reading

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you.

Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.

Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.

By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

The Peace Jesus Gives

 

Dear Diary,

Today is Tuesday, May 5th, and the fifth day of Mary’s beautiful month of May.

At Holy Mass, Father LeRoy read the holy Gospel from Saint John, where Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” Mini sat quietly beside us, and I thought she looked very peaceful too, with her little body settled close as if she knew she was in God’s house.

Father LeRoy explained that Jesus was speaking to His disciples before He suffered, and He did not promise them the kind of peace the world gives. The world’s peace can disappear when trouble comes, but Jesus gives a peace that can stay deep inside the soul, even when things are hard.

Father said that when Jesus told His disciples not to let their hearts be troubled or afraid, He was teaching them to trust Him. Jesus was going to the Father, and even though the disciples did not understand it yet, He wanted them to believe when the time came.

After Mass, Sister Mary Claire said that Our Lord’s peace is not loud or showy. It is quiet, like a little lamp burning in a room at night. Robert said that kind of peace must come from knowing Jesus has power over everything, even when the world seems frightening. Mini leaned against my shoe while they talked, and I felt that even a little dog can make the world seem less scary when she stays close.

Tonight, I am thinking about how Jesus loved the Father so much that He obeyed Him perfectly. Father LeRoy said that is where true peace begins — loving God and doing what He asks. I want that peace in my heart too, not just when the day is easy, but when I am worried or afraid.

Evening Prayer

Dear Jesus, please give me Your peace tonight. Do not let my heart be troubled or afraid. Help me love the Father as You love Him, and help me do what He asks with a willing heart. Blessed Mother Mary, keep me close to your Son during this beautiful month of May. Amen.

Love,
Kathy

Today’s Holy Gospel Reading
John 14:27-31a

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

A Dwelling Place for Jesus

Dear Diary,

Today is Monday, May 4, the fourth day of Mary’s beautiful Month of May. 

Robert picked us up as usual and right on time, and the four of us went to St. Mary’s for Holy Mass—Robert, Sister Mary Claire, Mini, and me. Mini stayed close beside us and seemed to know it was a holy morning.

Father LeRoy read the Gospel from Saint John, where Jesus says, “Whoever loves me will keep my word.” Father explained that loving Jesus is not only saying we love Him, but listening to Him and obeying Him. Father said that when a soul keeps Jesus’ word, God comes to dwell there, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost help make that little heart a home for Heaven.

On the way home, Sister Mary Claire said that love and obedience belong together. She said Our Lady shows us this better than anyone, because her whole life was one quiet yes to God. Robert said it was a good thing to remember, especially during Mary’s Month of May.

Tonight I am thinking about how Mary always kept God’s word in her heart. She did not make a show of her love. She gave God her quiet yes, again and again. I hope I can learn from her and make my own little heart more ready for Jesus.

Evening Prayer: Dear Jesus, please make my heart Your dwelling place. Holy Ghost, help me remember Your words. Dear Blessed Mother, in this Month of May, teach me to love your Son with a faithful heart. Amen.

Love,
Kathy

______________________

Today’s Holy Gospel Reading

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 14:21-26

Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, “Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.