she was looking for. He was the shepherd, and he’d led Dana right into his flock without her ever even realising it.
She had to admit, she was impressed.
When the last strains of the opening song drifted away, the landscaper/priest ascended the steps that led up to the altar and turned around to face the worshippers. Stretching out his arms in his flowing purple robes, he greeted the faithful.
‘Good morning, everyone. My name is Father Lance Middleton. Thank you so much for joining me this fine morning to give thanks and glory to the Lord our God. Each one of us are truly His children, and He loves each one of us dearly. Please don’t ever forget that.’
The rest of the Mass was easily recognizable to Dana despite her long absence from the Church. She’d minored in theology at Cleveland State, after all, so she’d spent plenty of time inside places of worship just like this one. And much like chapters in the FBI guidebook, the details of the rites had stuck to her brain like glue.
After the greeting came the penitential rite, followed by the opening prayer and the Liturgy of the Word. Then there were three readings and a psalm before the congregation stood for the reading of the gospel. As it turned out, today’s selection came from the Book of Job. Appropriate, to say the least.
Clearing his throat dramatically, Father Middleton began to read, his deep voice booming over the church’s sound system.
‘In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil…’
The story went on from there to recount Job’s trials following Satan’s challenge to God that Job worshipped Him only because he’d been blessed in life. Job endured countless horrors during the tests foisted upon him, including the loss of his family, wealth and sanity, yet he still praised God’s name.
When he’d ended the reading, Father Middleton immediately launched into his homily. The main crux of the priest’s sermon hit Dana in a very personal way.
‘Whatever burdens we bear in this life, we must always remember that there is a reason for the trials the Lord give us,’ the priest said. ‘We may lose our way from time to time, but God always knows exactly where we’re going. Follow His light and your path will always shine bright before you. That much I assure you.’
The rest of the Mass passed quickly for Dana after that as she reflected on Father Middleton’s words, just as she’d reflected on Bill Krugman’s words the previous night. Before she knew it, the final blessing and dismissal were being delivered. Never before had an hour of her life passed so quickly. To top things off, the closing song was Amazing Grace – one of Dana’s all-time favourites.
Tears filled her eyes as she sang out the words with the rest of the worshippers from the very bottom of her soul.
Ten minutes later, the church gradually emptied out, but Dana remained on her knees for a while, still praying.
This time it was a prayer of thanks.
She couldn’t explain it, but she somehow felt filled with the Holy Spirit right now. No matter how hard things had been for her in her life, she knew that there were others out there who had it far worse than she did. A renewed sense of strength flowed through her body. She was finally ready to get back to work. Finally ready to fight the good fight once more for those who weren’t strong enough to fight it for themselves.
A tiny hand on Dana’s left shoulder jerked her mind back into the present. Looking up, she saw the lead altar boy standing over her, dressed in his snow-white cassock.
‘Excuse me, ma’am,’ the boy said in a shy voice. Not much more than nine or ten years old, he had sandy brown hair and an angelic face sprinkled with freckles. ‘Father Lance asked me to invite you back to the sanctuary. He said to tell you he was very happy to see you at Mass today and that he’d like to thank you personally for coming.’
Dana smiled at the boy and resisted the urge to reach out a hand and tousle his hair. ‘Please tell Father Lance I’ll be back there in just a minute,’ she said.
When the boy nodded and had turned away, Dana closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, feeling the entire weight of the world slip from her shoulders.
Time for just