by Fr. Justin Fulton
This is a picture of my 2-year-old niece Juliana. Jules is quite the character. Here she is grumpy and frumpy. Her mother tells me this is what Jules did when she was asked to smile for the camera. Juliana reminds me a lot of me, frankly.
I like hanging out with Jules when I get a chance. In her terrible 2’s she has an uncanny way of “not really giving a care” about anything. She seems to always have the sniffles and her nose runs all the time. When her nose runs it seems to align with a constant slobber that hangs around her mouth. I usually tease her and joke around with her and say, “Say, Jules, you have slobber around your mouth. Are you a fountain? Why do you always have slobber around your mouth?”
Jules just smiles, growls, gives me a high-five, and then continues to play and go about her business. Jules does not care about her looks. She does not care if she offends anyone. She is carefree. She does not care if she slobbers on those around her or on those who hold her. She is living a pretty darn good life!
Jules seems to know that she is loved by her family, her parents, and her sister. She seems to give love too with her simple presence to those around her. She is not worried about anything. She simply lives in the moment and lives with joy. Her heart is in a good place, and she trusts all will be taken care of for her. I think we can learn a lot from kids like Jules.
We all know that we have to become like little children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In this day and age our Lord is asking us to trust like little children. He is asking us to not care about the anxieties of life. He is asking us to care simply about being loved by our Heavenly Father and in sharing that love with others by our presence, words, and good deeds.
The people served by the volunteers and staff of Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska trust in God’s providence. They trust in Him, in you, and in all of us. Many do not know where their next meal or rent money may come from. Many do not know where they can turn to for safety from a domestic violence situation. Many don’t know how they will fill up their vehicle with gasoline to get to work. They trust. They look for a smile. They look for Christ’s love in the apostolate of CSS.
Today, may we not give a care about anything except receiving the love of Jesus and sharing that love with the less fortunate. May we not worry about the latest fashion, gadgets, our looks, or the slobber on our nose and mouth. May we care about loving God and loving others with the gift of our lives.
Thank you for your prayers and support of CSS. May God bless us always!
