Today is Thursday, May 21st, and this morning Robert picked us up at the mailbox as usual and right on time. Sister Mary Claire, Mini, and I were all ready, and the road still looked wet from the nice rain we had. The sky was gray again, and it looked like more rain was coming before long, so Sister Mary Claire made sure we had our raincoats with us. Mine was buttoned up, and Mini had her little place ready in the truck where she could stay dry.
Robert said the rain would make the fields green in a hurry, and Sister Mary Claire smiled and said that grace can be like that too. When God sends it, quiet little places in the soul can begin growing again before we hardly notice.
On the way to St. Mary’s, we talked about today’s Gospel reading because Sister Mary Claire and I had read it ahead of time. Jesus was praying for His disciples, but not only for them. He was praying for everyone who would believe in Him later. That means He was praying for us too. I liked thinking about that as we rode along the wet country road, watching the clouds gather low over the fields.
At Mass, Father LeRoy explained the Gospel in his homily. He said Jesus was praying that all who believe in Him would be one, just as He and the Father are one. Father said that this does not mean we all have the same work to do or the same place in life. It means we are meant to belong to God together, with love and peace in our hearts.
Then Father LeRoy said something I kept thinking about. He said, “Our Lord does not forget the little ones who will come after. He sees them, He knows them, and He prays for them before they even know how much they need Him.”
That made me feel very safe. Jesus prayed for His apostles long ago, but He also prayed for little girls in Iowa, and nuns, and kind neighbors named Robert, and all the people who come to Him with faith. He even knows about our wet fields, our raincoats, our little mailbox, and our quiet ride to church.
After Mass, the air felt heavy with more rain. Robert said we might get another good shower by evening, and I hoped the fields would drink it all in. I thought about Father LeRoy’s words and how Jesus wants our hearts to grow together in His love. The rain helps the farm grow, but prayer helps the heart stay faithful.
Tonight, Sister Mary Claire and I said our prayers quietly while the rain began tapping again. Mini settled herself nearby, glad to be warm and dry. I thanked Jesus for the rain, for the Gospel, for Robert’s kindness, for Father LeRoy’s homily, and for the way Our Lord prayed for us before we were even born.
Evening Prayer
Dear Jesus,
thank You for praying for us
and for keeping us close to Your Heart.
Make our hearts gentle, faithful, and united in Your love.
Help us grow in grace each day,
and keep us safe beneath Your care.
Amen.
Love,
Kathy
__________________________
A reading from
the holy Gospel according to John 17:20-26
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name
and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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