By: Sister Mary Joanne, O.C.D.
About a year ago, the gardener near our convent found a small kitten in the bushes. He was tiny and hungry and scared and very happy to be rescued. The cardboard box he snuggled in soon had a terry cloth corner for his bed. In a short time, our laundry room became his home. Romeo enjoyed the many mothers who stopped to scratch him behind the ears, pet his soft fur or toss a little ball for him to chase. He would snuggle up on the towel on the bottom shelf of a cart and sleep, but only until someone came into the laundry room. Then, even if sleepy, he would get up to entertain his guests. One day, he received a gift. It was a kitty bed, round and soft and big for his little body, but he loved it. He immediately stretched himself full length (too small to reach the sides!) and, belly-up, looked for all the world as though there was a big smile of contentment and gratitude on his little face.
I’m not sure gratitude is really within the realm of emotions that kittens can have or communicate, and perhaps we were projecting our own feelings on Romeo as we watched him. There surely are times when I am beside myself with trying to find an adequate way to say “thank you” to God for all He does for me … and for all He IS for me each day. Sometimes I do stretch out my hands and smile at Him. Sometimes it is deep in my heart that my “thank you” is uttered. I was dead and now through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I am alive. I was lost and now I am found. I was hungry, and now, through the Eucharist, I have been fed with the Bread of Life.
