Driving Westward toward the church for morning mass this morn, I once again saw the beauty of God’s Light, as the passing road and buildings around me were still shadowy, yet the top half of the trees in front of me were brilliantly lit by the rising sun behind me. I said a prayer, then, for the beauty of creation, and the gift of my life.
The words of my subsequent Morning Prayers, the mass and the monsignor’s sermon, all seemed to naturally flow with those earlier feelings. When it came the time for communion, I watched as row after row of people joined the center aisle communion line. I was the only person in my pew, and as the last person from the pew in front of me joined the center line, suddenly a young boy came up and entered the center aisle line in front of me. There were two communion lines and, (I assumed) his mother was in the other line holding a baby. The young boy in front of me held a plastic animal character in each hand, and as the line moved forward, he had each of his animals walk on the pew edge in front of him. When he reached the front of the communion line, the monsignor blessed the young boy, who then held up his two arms, and the monsignor blessed each of the animal characters he held. And in my heart, I felt a deep joy: this is how He loves His little children. And receiving communion myself, I felt strongly God’s love for me too.
Back in my pew, I gave Him praise and thanksgiving. Then, I picked up a card containing the Prayer After Holy Communion, as composed by Padre Pio, and there I read: Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life and without You I am without fervor. Stay with me, Lord, for You are my Light, and without You I am in darkness. And at that moment the rising sun began shining through the church window, directly on my face. In the sun’s brightness I could no longer see the prayer card I held, but I knew there was nothing else to be said in prayer, and so I just listened.
Driving home from mass, the Catholic radio station was playing Deacon Tom Lowe’s Notes From Above music show. And Deacon Tom said: “And this next tune was played at Al Kresta’s funeral (the station’s founder and a very beloved man). It is titled Gratitude, and is sung by Brandon Lake:” It begins:
All my words fall short
I got nothing new
How could I express
All my gratitude.
I could sing these songs
As I often do
But every song must end
And You never do.
So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah
Hallelujah
And I know it’s not much
But I’ve got nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah
Hallelujah.
So many things to be grateful for at the start of this day, the blessings of the past, the blessings I see all around me this day, and (I am sure) the glorious blessings of the future. Why focus on the bad and the darkness? The Light is all about us --- not “about us” as in I’m so important, it’s all about me, but rather “about us”, as in It’s everywhere!! How can we not see the goodness, the never-ending Love of God all around us?? It’s ALL ABOUT us.
