{"id":14606,"date":"2012-04-10T12:17:41","date_gmt":"2012-04-10T17:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=14606"},"modified":"2012-04-10T12:16:53","modified_gmt":"2012-04-10T17:16:53","slug":"easter-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/04\/easter-lessons\/","title":{"rendered":"Was Your Easter Mass Heaven or Hell?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Easter Mass is supposed to conjure up images of\u00a0Christ’s Resurrection, Easter lilies, Alleluia’s and white vestments.\u00a0 For some, though, it’s a test of patience and faith.<\/p>\n

While it’s not the Superbowl of Masses, like the Easter Vigil, it’s typically a little longer than the normal one hour Mass and attendance is usually a lot higher.\u00a0 As the mom of five, I could write a book on all the things we’ve learned to do and not to do at Mass.\u00a0 It’s a tenuous balance and every child requires a different approach.\u00a0 Some Sunday’s we consider it a raving success if we make it to the homily with no major catastrophe.\u00a0 That’s why, when\u00a0a\u00a0friend recently emailed me and shared her Easter Mass experience, I wasn’t too shocked at a recent parent’s attempt at keeping the peace.\u00a0 Horrified, yes.\u00a0 But not surprised.<\/p>\n

It seems as if this mom brought her two boys, ages 5 and 6, to the “cry room.”\u00a0 But, instead of giving them an opportunity to participate in the Mass before pulling out a few tricks, she whipped out two DVD players and hit play.\u00a0 Um, WHAT?\u00a0 It seems that when the movies got too loud, she was at least thoughtful enough to bring along headphones.\u00a0 Oh, and don’t forget the food!\u00a0 She\u00a0brought along suckers for her two little guys.<\/p>\n

When do we draw the line?\u00a0 Do we say\u00a0something?\u00a0 Do we thank God they were there?\u00a0 Or, were they really?\u00a0 Should I be judging this mom without knowing the full story?<\/p>\n

I’m not sure there are hard and fast rules to any of those questions, but I do have a bit of insight to share.<\/p>\n

I think anytime someone makes the effort to come to Mass we should shout out an Alleluia.<\/strong>\u00a0 I’ve had some not-so-stellar Masses as a Mom and I’d hate to think another family\u00a0nominated me for “Worst Mom of the Year” because of that one-hour observation.\u00a0\u00a0 I do believe, however, that by coming to Mass you should also be preparing yourself to be in a state of grace.\u00a0 Even if you don’t hear one lick of the homily or barely make it to the communion line because you’ve been at the back chasing your screaming toddler, there are graces just for coming.\u00a0\u00a0Walk in with the right attitude and even if Satan hands you a beating, keep reminding yourself why you’re there.\u00a0 Perhaps switching off Masses with your spouse (if that’s an option) once a month and only bringing the kids who are old enough to sit still may be the reprieve you need.\u00a0 Try different Mass times.\u00a0 Offer your children an incentive for being attentive during Mass, say a walk through the church rose garden or 15 minutes of outside playtime with just you when you get home.\u00a0 Make it a gift of time, rather than a gift bought with money.\u00a0 And, recognize that this chapter of your life will not last forever.\u00a0 Pinky swear.<\/p>\n

Oh boy, should you say something?\u00a0<\/strong> My Palm Sunday Mass was a lesson in patience<\/a>, my greatest test yet.\u00a0 An older couple in front of us was not enjoying the kid chatter behind them and they made it clear.\u00a0 But, what started as a miserable Mass ended up being my greatest gift that Sunday.\u00a0 I turned to prayer rather than words I’d regret.\u00a0 I don’t often choose right, but that time I did.\u00a0 Perhaps at the end of Mass you should invite that Mom to the parish mother’s group.\u00a0 Maybe she needs an understanding friend or some new strategies.\u00a0 Shaming her in front of others will likely only do one thing:\u00a0 assure she’ll never come back.<\/p>\n

Judgment is a dangerous game to play.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Our youngest child was born premature and has various medical and physical challenges,\u00a0namely, eating and sensory processing.\u00a0 There were many Masses we brought two extra outfits and a blanket to catch what we knew would be a vomiting episode.\u00a0 For several months, they happened with no warning and at no specific time.\u00a0 Staying holed up in our house 24\/7 for months on end wasn’t an option.\u00a0 We chose to live life, and with it came consequences.\u00a0 We learned to roll with it and make the disruption minimal for those around us.\u00a0 In fact, if you go to our parish, I’m betting very few knew that was even a struggle of ours for a while.\u00a0 Point being?\u00a0 Kids are messy and they come with all sorts of stuff that people don’t see on the outside.\u00a0 There’s the family who has\u00a0a child with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Down’s Syndrome, Asperger’s, autism or something else.\u00a0 Those parents deserve gold medals for making Mass a priority.\u00a0 Just give ’em a smile and tell them what a beautiful family they have.<\/p>\n

Every Sunday is a new opportunity, a new birth, to experience Christ’s forgiveness.\u00a0 It seems appropriate as we begin this Easter season that we open our hearts to God’s teachings and see how he’s using us to bring people closer to Christ.\u00a0 Perhaps he’s starting with you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Easter Mass is supposed to conjure up images of\u00a0Christ’s Resurrection, Easter lilies, Alleluia’s and white vestments.\u00a0 For some, though, it’s a test of patience and faith. While it’s not the Superbowl of Masses, like the Easter Vigil, it’s typically a little longer than the normal one hour Mass and attendance is usually a lot higher.\u00a0… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-14606","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"entry","8":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":45656,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2014\/04\/3waysfor3daysintheeastertriduum\/","url_meta":{"origin":14606,"position":0},"title":"3 Ways for 3 Days: How to Grow Spiritually During the Easter Triduum","author":"Rita Suva","date":"April 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Easter Triduum 2014 is upon us. 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