Today was a beautiful May day at Camp Littlemore. The corn is coming up green in the fields, and my new Ford tractor still feels almost too wonderful to be mine. I like sitting up high on it and seeing the bridge, the creek, the fences, and the road that leads back home.
Robert picked us up as usual and right on time. Sister Mary Claire, Mini, and I rode with him to St. Mary’s. Mini sat close and looked very pleased, as if the new Ford tractor belonged partly to her too.
At Mass, Father LeRoy read the Gospel about the eleven disciples going to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. Father LeRoy said that part is very comforting, because Jesus still came close to them. He did not send them away because their hearts were not perfect yet.
Father said Jesus told them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” That means there is no place where Jesus is not King. He is King in Heaven, King on earth, King over the Church, King over our little St. Mary’s, and King even over the quiet fields of Camp Littlemore.
Then Father LeRoy explained that Jesus gave His disciples a great mission. He told them to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that He commanded. Father said the Church has been carrying that mission ever since, from country to country, church to church, family to family, and heart to heart.
But the part that stayed with me most was when Jesus said, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Father LeRoy said those words are like a lamp for every Christian soul. Jesus did not say, “I was with you.” He said, “I am with you.” He is with us when we are brave, and He is with us when we are afraid. He is with us when we understand, and He is still with us when we are a little confused, like the disciples who worshiped but still had some doubt.
I thought about that later when I drove my Ford tractor slowly across the little bridge. Mini rode in the wagon behind me with her orange squeak ball. The wagon bumped softly over the boards, and Mini sat there very grandly, like she was guarding all of Camp Littlemore.
On the back of the wagon, I imagined a brand new white tin sign that said, “With You Always.” That is the name for today, because it is what Jesus promised.
I looked back once to make sure Mini was all right, and then I thought how Jesus looks after us even better than that. He sees the whole road. He sees the bridge, the creek, the farm, the church, and every place I cannot see yet. I only have to keep going where He asks me to go, and trust that He is near.
Tonight, in the patchwork quilt tent in the bedroom, Sister Mary Claire and I said our prayers in our pajamas. The little lamp made everything soft and golden, and Mini curled close by, looking sleepy and safe. I thanked Jesus for staying with us always. I thanked Him for St. Mary’s, for Father LeRoy’s words, for Robert’s kindness, for Sister’s care, for Mini’s happy face, and for my new Ford tractor.
I want to remember that Jesus is with me always, even to the end.
Evening Prayer
Dear Jesus, thank You for promising to be with us always. Stay close to me when I am brave and when I am afraid. Help me follow You, trust You, and remember that You are King of Heaven and earth. Bless Sister Mary Claire, Robert, Mini, Father LeRoy, and everyone at St. Mary’s.
Amen.
Love,
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