One of the blessings of presiding at liturgy on Sundays and other times is the unique perspective that you get on life and the life of the church. As you look out towards the people you notice a lot of different actions going on throughout the Mass. It is true during the times of song when you see who are the singers and who aren’t and who does it with enthusiasm and joy. You are able to see the deepness of prayer and the interactions between the members of the congregation.

One of the things that bring great joy to my heart (and I think to all priests) is the families that come to celebrate. During this time of the Synod of the Family there is much focus on the nuclear family and how they are the foundation of the greater Church and the need to care for and lift up families in the life of the church. Last Sunday I will share three wonderful joys that young families brought to me during the Mass.

First was during the preparation of the gifts (the collection for everyone else) when a family with three children dropped their gift of treasure in the basket. Each of the children was given something to put in during this time. The three had been squirming and poking and distracting each other for the first part of the Mass but once the basket began to come down their pew there was a seriousness that settled over them as the dropped their donation, and watched their siblings do the same, into the basket and then each one looked towards their parents with such a look of happiness I almost laughed aloud. The lesson I gleaned was very simple: we must help our children be involved in the celebration even if it is something as small as dropping a dollar in the basket. The connection become life giving rather than the “hour I have to sit quietly.”

The second happened during the same time of Mass as a child chased down the ushers to hand them the family envelope. I don’t know the reason it wasn’t dropped in the basket as it passed them but down the aisle raced the child as he caught the usher, dropped the envelope in the basket and then skipped back up the aisle to his family. The joy of expressing the gift of the family is a joy we should all have as we share our time, talent and treasure. Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) gives us this wonderful sentence that reminds us that even in the difficulties of life if we allow ourselves to be negative we encounter not the joy of the Gospel but, “One of the more serious temptations which stifles boldness and zeal is a defeatism which turns us into querulous and disillusioned pessimists, “sourpusses”.” (#85) Yes, the Holy Father is telling us not to be sourpusses in our life of faith.

The third instance was in the last Mass I celebrated that Sunday. I was exhausted on many levels. We had celebrated the parish Fun Fest and there was much fun but also much work. During the opening song of the Mass as we processed down the aisle I looked over and a young boy of about six was dancing away to the music as he clapped and sang the words with unbridled joy. It was such a life-giving blessing. It certainly was not the “sourpuss” of defeatism but the joy lived fully and completely as his family surrounded him in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Short story told in very long verse…Jesus says we need to be more like little children in faith…he’s right.

God Bless

Fr. Mark