Today we went to the 9 a.m. Mass. We were up and breakfasted early enough to go to the 8 a.m. Mass at the other church but we had signed up to provide the treats after Mass, so we had to go to 9 a.m. Mass to deliver our goods. We made brownies and pumpkin bread. We drove off and dropped the goodies across the street. Jacob took the opportunity to go to the loo. We walked back to the church where the procession at the beginning of Mass was just starting.
Since my wife took the children last week to children's liturgy, it was my turn to walk across the street. We went straight to the preschooler room. Lucy sat in my lap and Jacob sat right next to me. The lady lit a candle, said a short prayer, then read a book about the multiplication of loaves and fishes. Jacob sat up front to listen. Lucy stayed with me and starting singing to herself. I went into "shushing" mode for quite a while. Lucy was almost quiet but the rest of the children were respectfully silent, so I felt a little mortified. Then the coloring started. The assistant (the lady's son) handed out Good Samaritan coloring pages to everyone. Jacob politely refuse and wandered around a bit. Lucy did some coloring with various markers and then wanted to leave. Jacob was across the room and took a while getting back to us, mostly because children were strewn about the floor coloring their pages. By the time he returned to us it was time for everyone to leave.
We headed back to the church and found the pew where mommy sat all alone. Lucy was pretty fussy still. She took off her jacket and her shoes. She then stood on the pew, which wasn't too bad. She started stomping on the pew, which was bad. I went back into "shushing" mode. She calmed down for the sign of peace. She also clung a bit to mommy.
Jacob was quite good in the church. He was quiet and prayerful, saying the Our Father well. He even sang along with mommy for one of the hymns. We did not light candles after Mass but headed straight over to see how popular our treats were.
Tea and treats was very popular this week, though I suppose we can't take credit as no one but us knew about the brownies and bread. I did hear one small boy say, "I think that's toffee on top of the brownies." It was actually a cream cheese topping swirled in just before baking. It was tasty, though not so much as toffee would have been. Maybe next time. Our children both had brownies. We parents refrained since we had sampled them the night before to make sure they came out okay. We had a good time though we didn't chat with anyone new this week.
I completely missed the sermon this week. I wasn't even able to read the readings for today, so I will go do that now. See you again next week!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Cry Room Chronicles LXVI
Last week we were in Portugal. We made it to Mass but it was in Portuguese so the homily was undiscernable to us. The priest had a lively way of speaking but we couldn't pick up on the meaning. I should be posting in the other blog soon with pictures and more details of our visit to Portugal.
This week we were back to our usual 9:00 a.m. Mass in town. Getting there was a little tricky because this morning was exceptionally windy. Father apologised at the beginning of Mass because the boiler light kept getting blown out by the wind. Church was a little chilly. Also the sexton couldn't get out of his house--the front door was stuck--so a lot of pre-Mass preparations didn't happen. We didn't notice anything amiss other than the temperature.
Lucy was quite a handful even before Mass started and wound up going to the children's liturgy across the street with Mommy. Jacob also wanted to go, so I was left for the first half of Mass by myself.
They all came back right after the collection, so they missed out on putting money in the baskets. Lucy became squirmy and noisy again. I took her out to the vestibule. I can't blame her since she has a cold that we all have had and are still having. She kept saying she was hungry and wanted a snack. We hadn't packed anything (usually we don't) so I could offer her no comfort. At one point she thought she could be quiet enough to go back in with Mommy, but she was still pretty fussy. We did get to say the Our Father together and the sign of peace went well.
After Mass neither child wanted to light candles but both wanted to go across the street for tea and treats. Since we didn't stay an extra 5 or 10 minutes in church we were able to sit at tables. We met friends from before Christmas and chatted with them for a while. It was quite pleasant. We eventually braved the wind outside to get back home.
Father's homily was about preparing for the coming of the kingdom of God, just as we did a month ago during Advent. Even though we are still in the traditional Christmas season (which lasts till Candlemas on February 2), we need to be ever vigilant in our preparations for the coming of the Lord and our entry into His kingdom.
This week we were back to our usual 9:00 a.m. Mass in town. Getting there was a little tricky because this morning was exceptionally windy. Father apologised at the beginning of Mass because the boiler light kept getting blown out by the wind. Church was a little chilly. Also the sexton couldn't get out of his house--the front door was stuck--so a lot of pre-Mass preparations didn't happen. We didn't notice anything amiss other than the temperature.
Lucy was quite a handful even before Mass started and wound up going to the children's liturgy across the street with Mommy. Jacob also wanted to go, so I was left for the first half of Mass by myself.
They all came back right after the collection, so they missed out on putting money in the baskets. Lucy became squirmy and noisy again. I took her out to the vestibule. I can't blame her since she has a cold that we all have had and are still having. She kept saying she was hungry and wanted a snack. We hadn't packed anything (usually we don't) so I could offer her no comfort. At one point she thought she could be quiet enough to go back in with Mommy, but she was still pretty fussy. We did get to say the Our Father together and the sign of peace went well.
After Mass neither child wanted to light candles but both wanted to go across the street for tea and treats. Since we didn't stay an extra 5 or 10 minutes in church we were able to sit at tables. We met friends from before Christmas and chatted with them for a while. It was quite pleasant. We eventually braved the wind outside to get back home.
Father's homily was about preparing for the coming of the kingdom of God, just as we did a month ago during Advent. Even though we are still in the traditional Christmas season (which lasts till Candlemas on February 2), we need to be ever vigilant in our preparations for the coming of the Lord and our entry into His kingdom.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Cry Room Chronicles LXV
Today is the Epiphany of the Lord. We went to our usual 9 a.m. Mass. We arrived with no problems. Jacob has fallen out of the habit of going to the loo before Mass, so we went straight into church.
Jacob did a great job at church. He was patient and often knelt when we did and said prayers along with everyone else. He enthusiastically shook hands with everyone around him during the sign of peace. I don't know about the offering because Lucy and I were out of the pew then.
Lucy was a bit to handle. She is becoming more and more contrary these days. She didn't want to keep her shoes on. She didn't want to color. She didn't want to sit quietly. She started talking more during the homily. I had to take her out midway through. Unfortunately, I found the vestibule a little distracting. There's too much interesting information posted by the doors leaving the church. Then all the kids came back from Children's Liturgy across the street, adding a little commotion. Every now and again I'd ask if Lucy was ready to go back into the church. She said, "I'm still too loud" even though she wasn't saying anything until I asked. Unfortunately she still was shoeless which meant I held her the whole time. We returned to the pew with Jacob and Mommy after the consecration.
After that, things went smoothly. At the end of Mass, Lucy did not want to light a candle, so Jacob and I went and did our best. Jacob prayed for me! When we left the church, Lucy wanted to go across the street to tea and treats. That was fun though very crowded. We had to stand and eat. We chatted with a few people and headed on our way.
Father's homily centered around the three magi. They were willing to follow the star guiding them to Israel. They were adventurous and open to new things, unlike the "temple sitters" who heard about this new-born king but did not join them on the way to Bethlehem. May we always be ready and open to the call of the Lord, even when it takes us outside our comfortable environs and into the unknown.
Jacob did a great job at church. He was patient and often knelt when we did and said prayers along with everyone else. He enthusiastically shook hands with everyone around him during the sign of peace. I don't know about the offering because Lucy and I were out of the pew then.
Lucy was a bit to handle. She is becoming more and more contrary these days. She didn't want to keep her shoes on. She didn't want to color. She didn't want to sit quietly. She started talking more during the homily. I had to take her out midway through. Unfortunately, I found the vestibule a little distracting. There's too much interesting information posted by the doors leaving the church. Then all the kids came back from Children's Liturgy across the street, adding a little commotion. Every now and again I'd ask if Lucy was ready to go back into the church. She said, "I'm still too loud" even though she wasn't saying anything until I asked. Unfortunately she still was shoeless which meant I held her the whole time. We returned to the pew with Jacob and Mommy after the consecration.
After that, things went smoothly. At the end of Mass, Lucy did not want to light a candle, so Jacob and I went and did our best. Jacob prayed for me! When we left the church, Lucy wanted to go across the street to tea and treats. That was fun though very crowded. We had to stand and eat. We chatted with a few people and headed on our way.
Father's homily centered around the three magi. They were willing to follow the star guiding them to Israel. They were adventurous and open to new things, unlike the "temple sitters" who heard about this new-born king but did not join them on the way to Bethlehem. May we always be ready and open to the call of the Lord, even when it takes us outside our comfortable environs and into the unknown.
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