Welcome the Children
Some of my earliest memories
are of being in church at Mass. We had
no cry room at St. Vitus in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and therefore Mom had no
choice but to keep my older brother and me in tow. I don’t remember everything, but I am certain
that like typical kids, my brother and I squealed and squirmed and fought with
each other during Mass. But Mom didn’t
give up. Her determination to bring us
to Mass had a huge impact. I may not
have understood everything that happened during Mass, but those experiences
cultivated and nurtured the seeds of my faith in a way that nothing else could.
Liturgy is a family
affair. Parents not only have the right
to bring their children to church, they have a duty to bring their children to
church. According to the Church, the
entire Christian community shares the responsibility to foster the faith of
children. That means welcoming them to
Mass. Kids will be kids. Their tiny bodies are full of energy that
prevents them from being still. They
will wriggle and occasionally wail.
That’s their job. The parent’s
job is to model the behavior they expect from their children, to participate
fully in the liturgy and to engage their children in singing the songs and
praying the prayers. The job of the
Christian community is to be patient, to be tolerant and to be willing to help,
remembering that we too were once children.
A smile or a word of encouragement sends a strong message to parents and
their children. It says “We welcome you here.” It says “We are a family.”
Jesus had a lot to say about
children. In recent Sunday Gospel proclamations, we heard how Jesus sees the
smallest among us:
Whoever welcomes a child such as this for my sake
welcomes me … Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom
of God belongs to such as these. Mark
9:37, 10:14
This Saturday, October 17th,
we welcome the children in a special way with a youth-led liturgy. Children will lead our worship by serving as
greeters, lectors, and music leaders. Let
us welcome all of our children, as Jesus did, with open arms. They are the future of the Church.
