Piety.

After serving as a volunteer in the nursery at my parish’s Catholic Vacation Bible School, which Oscar is attending for the third year, I was worn out.  Milo and MJ fell asleep in the car on the way home.  I carried each one in from the garage and put them down and flopped onto the couch and didn’t move for a long time.

I gradually became aware of a clinking sound coming from the kitchen.  Groggily I looked over.  Oscar was carefully carrying a pile of clean plates, still dripping from the dishwasher, up onto the kitchen stool and sliding them into the cabinet.

"Uh… what are you doing?" I asked.

"I’m putting the dishes away," he said.

"Oh… Thanks!" I said.  "That’s really nice of you to help me out like that."

"I’m doing a sacrifice for Jesus," he announced cheerfully.

This CVBS thing is pretty powerful.  I kid you not.  He also cleaned the basement and said a rosary — I am not kidding, he did it right in front of me — the whole thing — and then came up to me with a pencil and paper and asked me to write something for him.  I found a book to use as a writing surface and copied what he dictated:

OSCAR’S SACRIFICES.

I said a rosary for priests.

I said an extra Hail Mary and Our Father for my family.  ("That’s good," I told him.  "We could use it.")

I put away the dishes.

He wants to take the paper back to VBS tomorrow.  Maybe it’s an assignment?  I don’t know.  At any rate he’s very gung-ho today.  Will it last all week?