I am really growing to enjoy these Sunday reflection/Mass experience posts that I've been putting out on Mondays. :) This may very well become a regular feature. I'm going to need to make this one somewhat short since my schedule continues to be a bit busy, but no worries! I'm still here with you for the duration of my chat reference shift, so whatever I can get written in that time frame is fabulous. I just have to deal with the chat questions as they come in. For instance, I just helped someone who was looking for books on potty training in our library. Our academic, state university library. That's not a research interest that we have a large collection in, to put it mildly. Glamour, all glamour. :0
Anyway, I'm leaving early to take Henry to the dentist, which is fun for absolutely no one, although I at least get to read a Love Inspired Suspense title on my Kindle out in the waiting room, in contrast to poor Henry. But I digress. Henry was a very good boy at Mass yesterday, so he should get a reward far more appealing than a trip to the dentist, that's for sure.
Anne on the other hand...well, she made the Gospel reading very applicable to my situation. Not that I could HEAR the gospel, since I was taking her, at her very loud request, to the bathroom (ironically enough. *commiserates with chat patron*) When we returned, I got out my Magnificat so that I could go back to the Gospel, since it caught my attention as I was carrying Anne back to the sacristy. It was the parable from Matthew about the landowner hiring workers at varying times during the day but paying them all the same wage, regardless of how long they actually worked. The lesson being that God will forgive us and give us our reward in heaven no matter how worthy or unworthy we are, so long as we agree to what He asks of us. In our case, we should repent, ask for forgiveness, and go forth desiring to please Him.
This made an impression on me given that I had yelled at my children as we readied for Mass. :-\ It doesn't justify it, but they had fought all morning, and then *someone* refused to put her shoes on as we were about to leave the house. It was a frustrating situation, I was feeling emotionally at the end of my rope because they had both been behaving so poorly for hours leading up to this, and the shoe thing just made me snap. Can't *anything* be easy with a 3 year old? Apparently not.
It's a good thing that God never turns his back on us even if we're late to the party, no? Our opportunity to be redeemed is just as strong as someone who has lived the life of an angel from birth. Is there such a person, by the way? I'm thinking no. :0
I thought about this throughout Mass, which was good since Anne did not make things easy for me, and praying for patience certainly helped my cause. For the second time in 2 weeks, she had to be removed from the sanctuary for poor behavior, and a talking to administered out in the side vestibule. We had things like, oh... leaping off of the pew and into the aisle. Obstinate and dramatic throwing of self to floor when Mommy tries to pick us up. Loud *shushing* of the MUSICAL ENSEMBLE when they started playing. When our favorite usher came to collect our envelope, Anne looked at him unblinking as she held the envelope hostage, him with the basket offered in smiling expectation of her cuteness. Without missing a beat, Anne slowly *crumpled the envelope in her fist* as if sending some sort of nefarious message about the depth of her capabilities to embarrass her mother. It wasn't a good scene.
But we made it, and the Gospel message was certainly well received. We are all in need of God's grace. Especially this Catholic librarian.
And speaking of helping each other along in this earthly path, don't forget that today is Day 1 of the Novena to St. Therese. Sign up to join in!
I have a post planned tomorrow on the religious life and our children/friends. If that's a topic of interest to you, do come back to chime in!
How was your weekend, dear reader? Leave me a comment. :)
Poor Anne, I empathize. I have often wanted to shush the musical ensembles at various Masses. :O
ReplyDeleteha ha ha! Yes, agreed. :0
Delete