Many years ago my dear in-laws were attending Mass at the Church they belonged to at the time. That particular building is austerely beautiful, constructed in a classic style out of huge limestone blocks with stained glass windows, it's vaulted ceilings providing delightful acoustics. The focal feature there is a HUGE crucifix, center front, hung in the large space well above the altar below.
It seemed a Sunday as any other when my dear hubbie's parents found seats next to the aisle, about the middle of the church. Occupying the pew in front of them was a family with a delightful child, three or four years old. During the hour the child turned out to be very entertaining…you know, the type of toddler who manages to completely distract one's attention from the matter at hand without being distracting.
It was well into the hour when my mother-in-law relates that the child suddenly got still and attentive, her actions quiet but very deliberate, staring up intently at the front of the church. This went on for quite a while, the child looking up, studying something.
Finally, words that could be clearly heard by all those around came forth from her little mouth …
“Jump, Jesus, Jump”.
Jackie Zimmerer is a wife and mother of our sons. She attends St. John's Catholic Church in the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas.
