Come For The Sun, Stay For The Son!

It would be hard to spend a week in Jamaica and not notice the surrounding beauty. From the first day, I fell in love with the mountains and the ocean. But as the week went on, I noticed a different kind of beauty. The more I had the opportunity to interact with the residents at Jacob’s ladder, the more I noticed their childlike trust and love. I saw the perfection of virtues which I have struggled with for years. The vices we see as so commonplace in our everyday life would never even occur to these innocent children of God. I came expecting to give something to impoverished people only to realize the incredible richness of their relationship with The Lord.

Today we had the opportunity to visit the home “My Father’s House,” a community for physically and mentally disabled children in Kingston. The most striking part of the visit was seeing the children participate in daily adoration, taking turns spending time with our Eucharistic Lord. Two at a time, they would be brought in with their wheelchairs to pass an hour in the presence of Christ. Most of the children could not speak and had very limited mobility. All the same, as I toured the rest of the house, I saw an incredible joy throughout the community. The nurses, rather than being worn down by their work, were energized by it. I hardly passed a child who didn’t have a smile on their face. They experience material poverty, but in spirit, these children have stores of grace and peace which I hope to someday receive. They are visible images of the body of Christ.

These children are gifts from God, through whom we can learn so much. As Christ says, we must become childlike to receive The Kingdom of Heaven. These beautiful children are already living in simple reception of the grace of The Kingdom, and with a little grace, perhaps we can learn to follow their example.

Fr. Ivany, a seminarian, and a resident of Jacob's Ladder spent time in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament