Praise! Praise God Almighty! Praise Him in the morning and in the mourning. Praise Him in the setting of the table! Praise Him in the setting of the sun! Praise Him when you don’t feel like it. Praise Him when you do! Praise Him when it’s hard to trust. Praise Him always! He is Good; He is Mercy. He moves in perfect timing and in justice! He was and is and always will be!
Thank You Lord for all thy benefits! Thank You for communion and Communion. Thank You for weaving together a beautiful tapestry in this Church Militant that I bet can only be appreciated from the view of Heaven. Thank You for the struggles and hurts that prod us to trust You and deepen our reliance on You. Thank You for our families and for our sources of income. Thank You even for what we may perceive as a lack. Thank You for everything and everyone that is part of Your plan in Your time in Your way.
Lord, we repent of the sin and evil in our lives, our families, our communities, and in our world. Lord, we are sorry for the times we have failed to be thankful for all you have done, are doing, and will do. Lord, we strive to be less self-centered and short-sighted; forgive us. Lord, we are sorry for any lack of prayers, fasting, and almsgiving- the lack of the very living out of our proclaimed faith. Lord, we repent of any lukewarmness and indifference we have displayed in thought, word, and deed. We despise the times our flesh and wills have failed to place You first in our day-to-day expressions of who we truly are, children of God, heirs to the Kingdom.
Have you ever sat and pondered as your very own children likely do about what it means to be a child of God? What does it mean to be a child? What does it mean to be a child of God?
To be a child is not always easy in this world, especially if your family of origin does not necessarily reflect the Trinity. To be a child may look different for many, but I bet there’s some basic similarities in most ideas of what it means. Maybe, being a child means having a curiosity for how things work. It could mean being naive to the dangers all around us. It might mean dependence, total dependence, on another or others for everything. It may mean seeing the simple and beauty of this world. It means to some that they have a right to dwell with their father and mother, and to share their name and enjoy their bounty, and perhaps inherit some of the family traits and talents.
I have a daughter who is quite the thinker. Out of the blue recently, she said, “If we are God’s children, then we are demi-Gods!” All I could do was giggle. Then, I thanked God that she would even ponder such mysteries.
It reminded me that we don’t always need to “do” in prayer; sometimes, we must “be” in prayer. I have to remember to make time to ponder and wonder about God and the things of God. The mysteries of the faith we proclaim should become real in our lives, and CHANGE US! I know that my daughter will never read Greek mythology in the same way again, and I pray that she always remembers the dignity and honor in being a child of the one true God. I pray that she remembers to live up to the “family name” and use the “power” that she has inherited and that dwells in her since her baptism and remains and strengthens in her with every Sacrament received. I pray that for us all.
There has to be thousands of cute Catholic kid stories like my daughter’s. I’d love to hear them, so would your friends and fellow parishioners. If those around you are anything like me, they will not only appreciate the giggle, but will also wonder and ponder the mysteries of faith. You just never know how a cute little story will change someone.
Photo by Margaret Weir on Unsplash
