Wanted: One Holy Locksmith

Finn was extra squirmy at church yesterday. During a hymn my husband leans over and whispers: "You know, I think he only had candy for breakfast."

Oh, the prices I pay for grabbing that extra hour of sleep in the morning.

We forgot to bring a book or little (quiet) toy for him, his usual distractions during the service. So he is entertaining himself by looking around at the statues of Jesus and Mary placed in prominent positions at the front of the church.

"Mom," he whispers, "what is Jesus looking at?"

I glance up. "He's looking at us," I whisper back.

"Why?" he asks.

"Because He loves us. Now Shhhhhh!"

Twenty minutes later, during a completely silent moment, he points to the crucifix and says, loudly, "Dat's Jesus! And He died, right?"

I try to make myself small in the pew, and when the next hymn starts up I take advantage of the distraction and shuffle him downstairs to the coffee area. It is a pretty, well lit room with little round stained glass windows all around. I feed his sugar habit with a donut and a glass of juice. He munches happily, and looks thoughtfully at the windows.

He points to one, a picture of Jesus and the disciples at the Last Supper. "Dat's Jesus with his family, right? Before He went to heaven?"

"Yes," I reply.

"And dat one, dat's what heaven looks like?" he asks, pointing to a pretty window bursting with color and light.

"Well, sure," I reply. "It could be. Heaven is beautiful like that. It is the most beautiful place you can imagine."

"Jesus is in heaven now, right?" he asks.

"Yes."

"Is He the one that lets you in and then locks the door behind you?"

Think, Mom, think.... how to answer this one? "Why do you ask that?" I say, to buy some time.

He points to two windows right next to each other. One is a picture of Jesus kneeling, looking up into the sky and into a beam of bright yellow light. To the right of it is a picture of two old fashioned looking keys, criss crossed over each other, presumably symbolizing entry in the Kingdom of Heaven.

"Well, because dose pictures tell me dat Jesus lost his keys, and I want to be sure he finds dem before I get dere."