Fishes, which explained why Jesus had said, “Back so soon?” She had just left with her brothers and sisters. And reading backward from the Loaves and Fishes she discovered where Jesus found out about the death of His cousin, John the Baptist. That’s why He was going off by Himself-- to pray about John. First the crowds interrupted, then she did. “I’m sorry, Jesus,” she said out loud.
She found it confusing but Jesus didn’t. She guessed time wasn’t a big deal for God since He created it.
“Check this out.” Logan had gotten permission to look up some places where Bible stories had happened on the computer. He showed the others a great big rock with a cave carved into it. Let’s try going to Seezarea filipee (Caesarea Philippi. His pronunciation was questionable.)
“What happened there?” Lily crinkled her brow. She did not want a repeat of the demoniac.
Logan shrugged. “Who cares?”
Ok. It was a different approach but the others could see no reason not to go with it. So they looked up Caesarea Philippi at the back of the Bible. It sent them to Matthew 16: 13. They wrote this down and headed to Adoration. Lily looked it up in the big Bible and Logan read: “When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked His disciples-- (dizziness, spinning… Jesus’ voice) “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
You Are Rock
The disciples were all shouting out answers the children couldn’t understand.
Then Peter (Lily recognized him from when she had walked on water) said something and there was a moment of silence.
And Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Heavenly Father. And so I say to you,” and Jesus pointed to the huge rock with a yawning cave in it-- the same one Logan had found on the computer, “you are rock.” He paused to let His words sink in. “And upon this rock,” He gestured to Peter, “I will build My church. And the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. And,” He went on, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.”
All of the disciples looked shocked but no one more so than Peter.
Then Jesus began to tell the disciples as they were walking that He would soon go to Jerusalem where He was to suffer greatly and even that He would be killed, but on the third day, He would rise again. When they heard this the Gonker children plugged their ears and said “No!” Molly threw herself at Jesus and clung to His legs, but Jesus’ face was very stern.
When Peter said, “God forbid this should happen to You!”
Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as humans do.” And the children could see He was very determined. Then He tapped Logan’s shoulder and the children went back.
That was a quick trip,” Lucien said as they shuffled off the Altar.
“And weird,” said Lily. “First Jesus was favoring Peter and then He said horrible things to him.”
“Reminds me of Mom,” Lucien said, rolling his eyes.
“That’s because she loves us but we’ye being awful,” Molly was well aware of why her mom got mad.
Lucien raised his brows. “I guess Peter was being bad. But,” He held out his right hand, “at least we got this for our collection.” He opened the hand, within which he was cupping a coin. On one side was an image of a man’s head. He was wearing a helmet. One the other was a temple with four pillars.
“Let’s show it to Father Andy,” Logan grabbed his brother’s arm and dragged him out the door toward the rectory, the place where Father Andrew’s office was.
Believe
“Ah,” Father Andrew stroked his beard. “the Temple of Omrit.”
He handed the coin back to Lucien.
Lucien regarded him earnestly. “It’s real.”
“Too new,” Father Andrew said. “No one would believe you.”
“But you believe us.” Logan took the coin from his brother and after looking at it briefly began to fidget with it. “We could see this building in the distance when we were walking back from the cave in Seezar..” he stumbled with the name.
“Caesarea Philippi,” Father cut him off. “Impossible. It’s just ruins now. I’ve been there.” There was a pause and then he said, “Did you know there is a pool at the base of that rock that is so deep even sonar equipment can’t find the bottom. And that pool feeds the Jordan river, where Jesus was baptized.”
“That’s pretty cool.” Lucien’s eyes were wide.
“Anyway,” Father Andrew said, “you know what I believe. We all pray it every week at church.”
“The Creed…?” Lucien said.
Father Andrew nodded. “Now, if you boys will excuse me I have some paperwork.”
“But you believe in The Bible, and what it can do!” Lucien insisted.
Father met the boys’ eyes. “It can change lives.” Then he turned to his work and they knew they were dismissed so they shuffled out reluctantly.
9 Little children
“Kids, I don’t know if you should be going on the altar unsupervised.” Their mother looked up from snapping Fred Therese’s diaper cover. “Old Mrs. Fletcher is worried that you’ll mess something up playing with the Bible like that.”
“We’re not playing,” Lucien objected. “We’re reading.”
“Nevertheless,” their mother was insistent. “If you want to read the Bible you can look at our family Bible.”
“You don’t understand,” Logan jumped up from his chair. “It’s not the same!”
But their mother was wearing her stony face and there was no use arguing, “End of discussion.”
“Now what?”
“Maybe she would let us read if an adult is with us,” suggested Lily.
“Will it still woyk?” This was Molly.
“Who knows?”
“Who can we get?” Logan wondered aloud.
Lily bit her lip, then smiled. “I’ve got an idea.”
Mrs. Fletcher wore long floral print dresses and pinned a lacey scarf on her head every time she went to Mass, which was most days. She prayed the Rosary before Mass with a group of other lacey scarf-wearing women. Lily had always secretly thought they looked pretty fancy, so she dressed Magdalene Gloria in her best houndstooth calf-length dress and pinned a doily on her head to cover some of the shimmering blond hair which hung halfway down her back. Old ladies loved Mags because she looked like a doll and spoke in full sentences. Very proper.
Then she put on her own most conservative dress, pinning a scarf on her head as well. Having gotten her mother to agree to take them to daily Mass-- parents love when you ask that sort of favor-- she slid into the pew next to Mrs Fletcher and smiled sweetly at her.
“Hello, Dear.” Mrs. Fletcher gave the girls a good once over and nodded her approval. “Don’t you look nice today.”
Lily smiled again. After the daily Mass was over, Lily asked Mrs. Fletcher if she wouldn’t want to help her and Mags look up some Scriptures in the big Bible.
No doubt flattered that the girls were seeking her assistance, she agreed. Lily handed her the scrap of paper on which she had jotted the location of the Bible passage. Mrs. Fletcher read aloud for a couple of lines and, when nothing was happening Lily asked if she might read for a bit. She also asked if Mrs. Fletcher wouldn’t mind holding their hands while they read. “It makes me more prayerful,” Lily said with a half smile. After Mrs. Fletcher grabbed each child by the hand Lily read.
This time the familiar sensation of spinning. From far off Lily heard a startled, “Oh, my!” and when the spinning stopped the three of them were back in Judea, across the Jordan river.
Jesus was seated and it looked like picture day at Lily’s school. There was a long line of children, accompanied by their parents and they were being brought up to Him for a blessing.
“Oh, will you look at all those little shepherd children!”
Lily couldn’t blame Mrs. Fletcher for calling
them shepherds even though there wasn’t a sheep to be seen. They did resemble the costumed children from their Christmas pageant.
The Apostles seemed to think Jesus would be annoyed by them because they tried to break up the line as it was forming, But Jesus stopped them. “Let the children come to Me and do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” Then He gave Mrs Fletcher a meaningful look, and He planted one hand on each of Lily and Maggie’s heads.
When they found themselves back in the pulpit at church, Mrs. Fletcher looked confused and scratched her head, causing her scarf to sit crooked on her hair. She shook her head a couple of times then, looking at Lily with new eyes, said “Well, you certainly do read well, my dear.”
Mags presented her and Lily each with a very exotic looking flower. “Jesus told me to give this to you.”
And then their mother was calling that it was time to go. “Were these two bothering you?” she asked Mrs. Fletcher.
“Oh no, not at all .” Mrs. Fletcher still seemed a bit dazed. With an apologetic wave, Lily hoisted her sister onto her hip. The last they they saw of Mrs. Fletcher she was just staring at the flower Mags had given her and looking befuddled.
Different for Adults
Lily placed the squashed and laminated flower in the ark box. “Poor, Mrs. Fletcher. I have no idea how that went for her. She just seemed confused.”
“That’s because she’s not childlike enough,” said Logan. “The Bible says we have to become like children to enter Heaven.”
“Then why is Mom always telling us to grow up and stop acting like