My four-year-old son bolted into the kitchen as I was cooking dinner.
In his typical humorous display of emotion, he dramatically clutched his hand to his heart and stared at me wildly. I took a deep breath in preparation for him to tell me that he had brought a tiny lizard in the house.
I quickly glanced at his other hand to make sure that there was no lizard in it about to break free at any moment.
There wasn’t.
In fact, he was now pointing at a small scrape on his foot and seemed to be overwhelmingly thrilled about it. “Mommy! I think I have that Jesus thing!” I was confused and asked him what he meant by “Jesus thing.”
He clasped his little hands together and joyfully shouted, “I have that Jesus thing when your feets bleed!” My little boy believed that Jesus had given him the stigmata just like his favorite, Padre Pio.
I couldn’t help but smile and think back to the time that I heard him asking Jesus to turn him into Spiderman, and the time that he asked Our Lady to give him good dreams about eating candy. I explained to him that he didn’t have the stigmata and had probably just scraped his foot playing. He understood and went back to his regular four-year-old-boy adventures.
I returned to the stove and continued to marvel at the beauty and simplicity of his faith. Right then, I asked the Lord for a childlike faith that doesn’t put limits on His goodness.
Today’s Responsorial Psalm says, “Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds” (Psalm 119:27). My prayer for you, dear sister, is that you remember to have a sense of wonder.
Take a moment to ponder and behold the glory of God's goodness in all the ways He invites you to, no matter how small they are.
Let the warmth of His everlasting love move your heart to shout with joy.
Take a listen to this Catholic musician and experience God's love.
Leana Bowler is a wife and mother of eight little ones. She is a Holy Rosary enthusiast with deep devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Her love for the message of Divine Mercy led her to become a Marian Missionary of Divine Mercy. She enjoys the miracles of family life, strong coffee, and encountering others on this journey to sainthood. She was a contributing author to And Hay Became Holy and Made New: 52 Devotions for Catholic Women.
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