God's Stuff

 

  I received a wonderful little surprise just before Christmas. One of my children's friends came over with a gift for me. He had recently visited Poland and brought me a picture of St. John Paul II. He told me he had noticed the religious things around my house and thought I would like it. I was really touched by his thoughtfulness. Later, I showed my new souvenir to my other kids. I repeated the conversation and said, "Can you believe he noticed my religious pictures? He hasn't been to the house that many times."

 My children started laughing, "Mom, everyone notices your religious pictures. They are everywhere and in every room."

 "Well, no one has ever made a comment to me before," I added.

 My daughter, still laughing, said, "Yeah, one person even told me, "Wow, you have a lot of God stuff!"

  I took that as a total compliment. "Oh, I like the thought of living in a house with God's stuff!"

 Of course, I know that a house with God's stuff would not be a collection of things. It would be a house where people were loved unconditionally. A place of patience, forgiveness, and understanding. A home dedicated to hard work, sacrifice, and moments of peace and prayer. It would be the domestic church.

 God knows my little domestic church is far from perfect, but we do have moments of holiness. I wish there were more of them. It is definitely something to strive for in the new year. Could the challenge be a little smaller? Yes, but looking back at my life, I can see how my faith grew in challenging and complex moments. Perhaps God gave me this family because these individuals will help me become a saint, and in turn, I will help them. We're not perfect, but I look forward to filling my house with God's "stuff" as we continue the journey toward heaven.

-Susan