What's Left

Our family has had a pretty good string of mornings lately where we have had some good breakfast Bible time. When our family routine works out, we'll eat breafast together and read the daily readings for Mass that day.

When our children were younger, we would just read the Gospel of the day, but now we will go through the day's readings with me reading the first reading and psalm, a (usually) lovely rendition of the Alleluia verse led by our 4 and 8 year olds, and Dad reading the Gospel. Then we'll often go around the table and just say one word or phrase that stuck out to us. Most of the time, it ends there and we finish up our breakfast, but sometimes something amazing happens.

In last week's readings, Jesus was being especially tough on the Pharisees. After reading about how that generation would be "charged with the blood of all the prophets from the foundation of the world..." there was a heavy silence at the table. Our oldest stated honestly, "I don't think that Jesus sounded very merciful to the Pharisees."

Matt and I exchanged glances and were about to join in the conversation, when our 8 year old surprised us by jumping to Jesus' defense.

"I think he was merciful," she offered between bites of cereal, "but they rejected his mercy. Then, all that was left was his justice."

We were speechless, and honestly, there wasn't much else to say anyway. I thought a lot that day and in the days that followed about how important it is to accept God's mercy in my life (and to offer it to others). I definitely don't want what's left over!

Such wisdom "from the mouths of babes" was also a humbling example of how God the Father speaks to his children through the living Word. It was a poignant reminder to my husband and I of just how important it is to our family to give God the firstfruits of our day in reflection, and not just what's left at the end!