Cry Room Chronicles LXVII

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!

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.

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.

Cry Room Chronicles LXIV

Whoops, I wish I could say that I haven't posted a Chronicle in a few weeks because we have been deep in prayer. Alas, it is not true. At least we haven't been missing Mass, only missing posting.

This Sunday is the fourth in Advent, which means Christmas is next week! The church is slowly becoming more decorated for the feast of Christmas. All the candles are lit on the Advent wreath and the tree off on the side has more and more ornaments on it. During the children's liturgy, the kids make ornaments if they are so inclined. After Mass they are hung on the tree.

We arrived just in time for Mass. Things were going really well until the Kyrie. Jacob was caught off guard and couldn't find the song in his hymnal before we were done singing. He became very upset. He decided he wanted to go to the children's liturgy across the street. When Lucy saw Jacob and Mommy leaving, she raced after them.

They didn't stay too long. The homily was only half over when they returned to our pew. Jacob showed me the cut out angels he was given. He explained that he did not want to color them and he decided to come back so they went out of the room and back across the street. He explained it in an even longer run-on sentence. We've wound up using his angel to top our Christmas tree.

For the rest of Mass, Jacob did pray along with some of the other prayers. Lucy spent a lot of time out of the pew, but only standing in the aisle, not roaming around the church. She did want to give a different coin to the collection than the one I gave her. She found something in Mommy's purse (with Mommy's help).

At the end of Mass we lit candles as usual. Both children said they were praying for me. We had to dodge around the aforementioned Christmas tree and the two or three kids who were hanging all the new ornaments.

As we were leaving, we saw a lot of children up front practicing for next week's children's Mass. At tea and treats after Mass, two people told me that the Children's vigil Mass is quite an experience and that we should arrive early to get a seat. Also, if Jacob and Lucy want to dress up as shepherds or angels or whatnot, they could join in at the last minute if they want. When asked, neither expressed much interest. I think Mom was a little disappointed.

Father's homily drew out the contrast between the current spectacle of Christmas preparations and the quiet entrance of Our Lord and Savior into our world, unnoticed in a stable in a small town in Judea. So much of our culture is centered around worshiping mammon by holiday spending and greed and gorging. He hoped that we'd find the peace, the salvation that Jesus came to offer us.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Here's pictures of Jacob and Lucy dressed up last week for church. Hopefully they'll look even better next week.

Cry Room Chronicles LXIII

We made it back late from our trip to Belgium (if I may be allowed to use such language on a family blog) and could not make it to any morning Masses. We wound up at the 6 p.m. Mass at St. Roberts.

The Mass went well. Lucy only took her shoes off once and only wandered into the aisle of the church and out of reach once. Of course, she then proceeded to lift her shirt up to her face several times. Mommy had to hold her to keep her from showing so much skin.

Jacob was very well behaved except for a minor meltdown when we finished singing the gospel alleluia before he could get his hymn book open to the page he thought was correct. Some soothing from Mommy made him better. He was great at saying responses, even the responses for the Psalm. I was amazed and delighted.

The other new thing (though we didn't know it was new) was a small children's choir that led the hymns for Mass. The pianist played for the first time in public and she did show the nervous shyness of a teenager suddenly put in the limelight. She did well as did the other children.

We lit candles over by St. Joseph since the candles on the right side (by Mary) were all out and we didn't see any way to start a fire to light a candle. The children prayed for their parents.

In lieu of a sermon, Father read a letter from the Bishop that has completely slipped from my mind as I am writing, for which I am rightly ashamed. Hopefully I will get more from next week.

Advent has started (Father wished us a happy new year, and explained it is the liturgical new year for the church). We will be getting out our Advent wreath for dinner and start singing "O come, O come, Emmanuel" at evening meals. We have an Advent calendar that will also become part of the evening ritual come December 1. If we don't do the calendar at breakfast...we'll get back to you on that.

Cry Room Chronicles LXII

Whoops, we missed two weeks. Mea culpa! Now that the end of the liturgical year is upon us, it's time to get back to business. Today is the Feast of Christ the King and the last Sunday before starting the new liturgical year next week with the first Sunday of Advent. Where did our Advent wreath go? Where will we find candles?

Rather than worry about tomorrow, let's bask in today's glory. We went to a different church since we were up early. The 8 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph's was quite good because the children were really well behaved. Jacob paid attention and prayed along with many of the prayers. Often, he was a beat behind, so he said "and with your spirit" right after the rest of the congregation. Lucy was just barely fidgety.

We were the lone people up front on the right transept, so we only had ourselves to give the sign of peace to. We did give money to the collection, though I only had small change in my pocket, so we put a five pound note in too. At the end of the Mass, the priest singled us out as an example of how even if kids might seem distracting, he never gets distracted by children at Mass and loves to have them. If the kids get loud, he gets louder, or so he said. He didn't have to demonstrate it today, though we did notice him smile as he started to process out and Jacob said the final "thanks be to God" just after the congregation. Father also had some good advice on having special Sunday soft toys and having a special missal or prayer book for the kids to follow along that they only have on Sunday. He received the tip from a vicar's wife back when he was at a parish shared with the Church of England.

His sermon was good too. He talked about how foreign the notion of an active king or queen is in modern society. In the readings, the idea of a shepherd king, one who takes personal care of his people, is something unfamiliar today. Also unfamiliar is the call to serve others as the Lord does. But this is our truest vocation, being obedient to God especially in serving others in their need.

Cry Room Chronicles LXI

This is Day Light Savings Sunday, Fall Edition. You'd think with the extra hour in the morning we'd get to church in plenty of time, but that was not what happened. We brought snacks for the car and a shopping list, both of which required extra trips back to the kitchen. We were just slow enough that we made it to church right on time for the 9 a.m. Mass.

Jacob wanted to walk into church and pick out the pew before going potty. He chose the extreme right side of the church, where the pews are big enough for three adults, which meant a cosy squeeze for two adults and two children. He headed across the street with Mommy as the pre-Mass announcements were being made.

Jacob was quite a handful this week. He became frustrated when he couldn't get to the "right" page in the hymnal when we sang parts of the Mass, like the gospel alleluia. We were done singing before he'd be ready. By the Our Father, he was ready to go home. We coaxed him into staying, but had to keep on coaxing him for the rest of Mass.

Lucy was okay. She wanted to wander out into the aisle a few times. She also wanted cuddling with Mommy when Jacob wanted comforting, which was a little bit of overload for her.

We did light candles after Mass and go to tea and cakes before crossing the big street to grocery store. The only cakes were little chocolate covered cookies for which Jacob had little enthusiasm. We finally gave an extra-generous donation to make up for three weeks ago when we had no money. Also, a nice lady named Susan was in the front room selling religious items, including Christmas items. We picked up an Advent calendar and a book for the children. As I was chatting with her, Jacob came to get me. She understood. Hopefully we'll run into her again. Maybe I'll forget her name after a few weeks. Then I'll think, "I wrote it on the blog! If only I had a smart phone, I could look it up. Oh well..."

Today's gospel was about doing what the pharisees said and not what they did. Father started his sermon with a story about a bird some missionaries had brought to Africa. One day, they let the bird out of the cage. The bird flew to a branch outside where its brilliant yellow could be truly appreciated against the deep green of the trees; its pleasant song blended in wonderfully with the jungle sounds. He segued into talking about how important it is to have freedom. So many people are fettered by situations or expectations from others, much like the pharisees and other leaders who used their authority for personal power and prestige. Authority should be used for the benefit of those governed, even to the point of the leaders sacrificing their own interests in favor of those under their authority. If only all leaders felt that way. And if only all people had that expectation, he lamented. May all of us who lead others (including parents) have the right spirit!