Since I was a child, my relationship with my mother was often
difficult and challenging. During a specific time, however,
there was quite a bit of friction between us and neither of us
could seem to find the right words for any reconciliation or
agreement. Any love we might have had for one another
certainly wasn’t enough to make things right.

My mom committed to a Holy Hour at the church where I
grew up every Wednesday morning. One day, on my way to
work, I stopped in to sit with her and our dear Lord. Her face
lit up when she looked toward the door of the little chapel and
saw it was me there in the doorway. I managed to cozy up in
the pew next to her and we both smiled and fought the urge to
whisper kind words to one another, so not to offend the Lord
with our chatter.

We had each been walking in darkness, but there in the
Presence of Jesus, a light had dawned for us, and a seed had
been planted that would help turn our hearts of stone into
hearts of flesh—not just for one another but for others too.
Over the years, when I visit my mother, I’ve returned to that
little chapel because I knew He was there. Every minute, of
ever day He was there waiting. A perpetual offering of grace
and peace in His Presence. Truly He gives, and not as the world
gives. Never is my heart troubled in His presence. I praise Him
and thank Him for bringing light and love into a very broken
relationship. One that now requires me to care for my mother
in her old age. I can do it now, because of His love and healing,
and because I know He is always there to nourish and
strengthen me with His Presence, if I need it.

(A Lay Dominican St. Joseph Province, excerpted from Godhead Here in Hiding Whom I Do Adore – Lay Dominicans Reflect on Eucharistic Adoration)