This morning Robert picked the three of us up for Church as usual and right on time. It was Sunday morning Mass, so everything felt a little more hushed and special, even before we got there. Sister Mary Claire looked so peaceful, and Mini seemed to know it was Sunday too, because she sat very properly, as if she had her own little Sunday manners tucked inside her corgi heart.
At Mass, Father LeRoy read the Gospel about how much God loved the world. He said we should never hurry past those words, because they are like the whole story of salvation folded into one sentence. God loved us so much that He gave His only Son, not to frighten us away, but to save us and bring us home to Heaven.
Father LeRoy said some people think of God first as someone waiting to condemn them, but Jesus tells us that the Father sent Him because of love. That made me think of the tabernacle, quiet and holy, where Jesus still stays near us. He did not come only once and then leave us all alone. He still remains with us, hidden and patient, because His love has no end.
On the way home, Sister Mary Claire said that belief in Jesus is not just saying words, but trusting Him, loving Him, and trying to live close to Him each day. Robert said that when a person really believes Jesus came to save him, it changes the way he sees everything, even hard things. I thought about that while Mini leaned against me, warm and happy, as if she agreed in her own little way.
This afternoon I kept thinking about the words, “God so loved the world.” That means He loved the whole world, but it also means He loved our little farm, St. Mary’s, Sister Mary Claire, Robert, Father LeRoy, Mini, and even me. It is almost too big to understand, but it makes my heart feel safe.
Evening Prayer
Dear Jesus, thank You for coming into the world to save us and not to condemn us. Help me believe in You with my whole heart and stay close to You every day. Please bless Father LeRoy, Robert, Sister Mary Claire, Mini, and all of us at Camp Littlemore tonight. Keep our hearts full of Your love, and bring us safely one day to eternal life with You.
Amen.
Gospel Reading
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 3:16-18
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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