About My Father's Business

 

Dear Diary,

This morning the air felt shaxrp enough to snap, but it was warmer than it has been, and the thermometer said 17 degrees above zero. Sister Mary Claire and I were already waiting at the mailbox when Robert came along in his pickup, and we were all glad we didn’t have to walk in that biting cold. Mini was up on the big rock like a little sentry, sitting so proud and still, as if she had been put in charge of watching the whole farm.

At Mass, Father LeRoy tied our meditation to the scene of Mary and Joseph finding Jesus in the Temple. He explained how Mary said, “Son, why hast Thou done so to us?”—not like a scolding at all, but like a loving mother who had been worried sick, and she spoke her sorrow honestly because she loved Him so much. Father said it helped me to see that it isn’t wrong to tell Jesus when something hurts, as long as we do it humbly and don’t let our hearts get cranky and hopeless. He said if we would pour our grief out at Jesus’ feet instead of scattering it all over the world, we’d find a kind of consolation the world can’t give.

Then Father talked about Jesus’ answer: “Did you not know, that I must be about my Father’s business?” He said Mary and Joseph didn’t understand everything right away, but they adored God’s plan anyway, and Mary kept the words in her heart. He told us to learn that—accepting what God shows us, doing the duties right in front of us, and not prying into tomorrow like we can force it open. And he said before we begin things—especially prayers and devotions—we should renew our good intention, so our day belongs to God on purpose and not just by accident.

All day long I kept thinking about that: my Father’s business. Even simple things can be His business if I do them for love. When I was helping with our ordinary tasks and trying not to drift into silly thoughts, I kept whispering inside, “Jesus, I’m doing this for You.” And when I felt a little lonely in the cold air, I remembered Mary searching for Jesus sorrowing, and I asked her to teach me how to keep my heart steady and faithful.

Resolution: Before my prayers and my work, I will quietly renew my intention: “Jesus, this is for You.”

Evening Prayer:

O Jesus, keep my mind and heart turned toward You. If I feel sorrow or confusion, help me to bring it straight to You—humbly and trustfully—like Mary did. Teach me to be about my Father’s business in the little things, and to love Your will more than my own. Amen.

Love,

Kathy