Dear Fellow Parishioners,

When you meet me for the first time you can probably see two opposing forms of body language occurring at the same time. I walk towards you, which indicates I am pleased to meet you (with the expectation that you might scratch under my chin or give me a treat), but I also approach cautiously as indicated by my head held low and my tail between my legs. Once I verify that you are kind and know you won't hurt me, I might even roll over on my back so you can give me a belly rub. Trust is not easy for us rescue dogs who have been hurt in the past.

Fr. Kennedy tells me that human beings can also be guarded about trusting one another and that in many circumstances, caution is enormously appropriate. He said that trusting God is difficult as well. He tells me that when things are going well in his life, he has a tendency to forget about trusting God, and that when he faces uncertainty, he tends to trust his own abilities more than God's. The thought that reminds him to trust God is of Jesus when he was naked with his arms stretched out and nailed to a cross. Jesus was incredibly vulnerable, and his trust in God the Father was crucial. I wonder if there is something you need to trust God about in your life right now?

So if we do sometime meet, and I look both cautious and happy to meet you, remember I want to trust you, but it's not easy. I bet that's similar to the way you want to trust God but realize it's not easy either.

BOL (bark out loud),
Sweetheart