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by PAM
I was worrying about going to Church today because I am staying at my sister's in Caldwell, ID, which is about 27 miles away from the Idaho capital, Boise. While it is lovely here, the drive from the airport to her house was filled with rolling hills and farmlands, and there were many churches, too, but I didn't see any Roman Catholic Church along the way. Luckily, my sister and my brother-in-law are very considerate people that they thought about my plight, and they readily suggested that I attend the service at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church, for which, of course, I am very thankful.
As I know that this region in the US is not huge on Catholicism, I thought the church would be a small one in the heart of a small community. But, no, my imagination cannot be farther from reality because the church was huge, and it was almost full for that one Sunday service of 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. - to my pleasant surprise.
"Lord, teach us to pray..."
My brother-in-law very kindly drove me to the Church, which was less than 10 minutes away; and so very kindly waited for me as well.
The service was very good - short and sweet... and the singing of psalms was very good, too. And yet, what was best about the whole experience was the Mass celebrant's sermon. The Gospel was on Luke 11:1-13... "Lord, teach us to pray... ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you" as we know, when one of Jesus's disciples asked him to teach them how to pray.
The celebrant elaborated through what he called the "3 Ps": Prayer, Patience and Perseverance. He said that when we are setting out to fulfill a 'mission' that we believe is God's will, before taking the first step, it is best to seek God and his mercy - in prayer. As we proceed, meeting obstacles along the way, forcing us sometimes to veer out of our path and lose our way, we can stay on track if we have patience - to enable ourselves to achieve balance and make good decisions as a result. And, whenever we feel that the road we are taking is all uphill, and we experience weariness as we climb, it helps to stay focused on the mission in perseverance - knowing where we are headed, believing that we are pursuing God's will, and knowing that God is with us throughout the journey.
It is always up to us to seek God in prayer, ask to be guided by his wisdom patiently, and knock in our hearts to be inspired by His love as we persevere to fulfill our mission. God is with us; we are in His heart, and He does love us so.
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About the photos: I took the photos at the Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Caldwell, ID, USA.
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