The Sound of Crying Babies at Mass? - Patheos

Thanks for saying this, Mark. I don?t think the good Deacon knew what he was getting himself into!

We have two (soon three) little kids, and we have been extremely fortunate to be parishioners at a parish that is really serious about welcoming children and families. Our priest has had many opportunities to comment on child noise during Mass in a way that makes it clear he thinks it?s great. In our neighborhood there?s a mix of young families and older folks, and I?ve never sensed any tension between the two groups. In fact, there?s a trio of little old ladies who sit behind us often and have gone out of their way to let us know how much they enjoy seeing our kids at Mass, and another sweet lady in our parish took it upon herself to make little fliers with a place to color on one side, and a letter on the other letting parents know that their kids are welcome. I don?t think I really appreciated how fortunate we are until I read a bunch of the comments on these posts. Boy, a lot of secular ugliness toward children and parents has found its way into the Church.

This conversation also made me think of another parishioner we see quite often. He?s a wheelchair-bound man with dementia who is brought faithfully by his caregiver every week, and he often will begin to cry or mean out loud during Mass. His caregiver (daughter, I think) does her best to comfort him, but they stay and are welcome. In many ways, he?s a baby again. I?ve thought about them often when I think about our own struggles with our kids. We bring them in the hopes of raising them in the faith, of fulfilling our baptismal promises and of watching them grow and learn. She has none of these promises or hopes. Her father will likely continue to decline until he eventually dies. So, why does she bring him? She does it not in hope that he will grow in understanding or get better, but simply to have him there to receive grace from the Mass, and he does.

Any time we start stipulating who should be at Mass and what their reasons are for being there, we have failed in our Christianity. In conclusion, something about getting fitted for a millstone goes here.

Source: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/2013/04/the-sound-of-crying-babies-at-mass.html

edwin jackson punksatony phil 2012 groundhog day groundhog phil pee wee herman ketamine ground hogs day 2012