Peanuts In The Pews...

  This past Sunday I was standing for the closing song of Mass with my three youngest children.  As "Hark the Herald Angels Sing " was piped from the organ and the congregation sang its farewell to the Christmas season I was surprised by the verve with which my eight-year-old son joined in with "GLORY tooo the newborn King."  I was further amazed when my four-year-old joined in with equal gusto, "Peace on Earrrrth and mercy mild."   My heart swelled as I thought, "Finally, they're getting it!"  I could not believe they were singing...let alone getting the words correct without even seeing the verses in front of them!  Before I could fully process my joy in the moment my mouth went slack with glee or perhaps absolute astonishment when my ten-year-old leaned his head in to join his siblings as they all bellowed "God and sinner reconciiiiiled."  My amazement morphed into an exasperated yet irrepressible amusement as the congregation paused to breathe before the next verse and my four-year-old daughter, Evie, shouted "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!"

  Well...that certainly explains a lot...My children had been fascinated with the Charlie Brown Christmas book their Bushia (Polish for Grandma) had bought them.  It came complete with interactive sound buttons throughout...Including the verses, picture of the scrawny, little Charlie Brown Christmas tree in the back, and the button to push that had the Peanuts gang singing this very song.  

  All these years of encouraging interaction and participation in the Mass...and Charlie Brown could accomplish that?  Hey...Joyful, all ye nations rise!  This is fantastic.  Join the triumph of the skies!  My kids were singing and with angelic host they proclaimed..."Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

   It's all good.  Mr. Charles M. Schulz, you were one wise man!

Ketchup Time Capsule

 
My oldest is about to turn 18 which is causing tons of reflection on his childhood.  I came across this gem from the good ol' days:

  One evening my husband and I were sitting at the dining table enjoying our meal with our three-year-old son, Isaac.  Isaac was seated next to me with his plate of whatever meal complete with "dipping ketchup."  Trying to get my attention, he began to tap my arm with his little ketchupy finger.  I was wearing a white shirt so I was less than thrilled as I jumped and told him about the benefits to simply calling my name rather than drilling a hole in my arm.  I showed him his fingerprints on my shirt and told him to be more careful.  I even went as far as telling him Mommy doesn't have very many clothes so I really need to take care of the ones I had.  This was in direct relation to the fact that my husband was laid off from his job so money was non-existent.  Of course Isaac didn't even blink an eye before he innocently told me, "that's ok Mommy, you don't even need to worry 'cause you'll get a pretty new white dress when we all go to the feast."  My jaw dropped and I was stunned into a teary eyed silence by my three-year-old's profound theology.  You see, Isaac had recently been asking all kinds of questions about God.  In one conversation he laughingly told me that his cousin Nathan thought that we would eat food in heaven.  I knew he was asking me to tell him the truth about that statement as he asked, "Isn't that silly Mommy?"  After thinking about it, I told him what I knew about the banquet the bible says we'll share together one day in heaven."  Well, this was enough to capture his attention because if there's anyone who loves a party, it's Isaac.  We talked at great length about who would be there and how cool it would be to go to a big feast.  I could see the wheels spinning his imagination as he pictured and made real in his mind this bountiful festivity that had never been matched in his experience.  So real was this feast in his mind that after not discussing it for over a week he applied the richness of God's providence to my worrying about a little ketchup on my sleeve.  Even my husband caught on to the profound wisdom that had just emitted from a child to silence the reasoning of one whose mind was focused on the things of this earth.

  What my child knew to be true he completely trusted in.  And as we are reminded in Luke 12:27 to not worry about anything, Isaac reminded me of this attitude with is childlike trust in God's providence.  I witnessed the Gospel of Luke unfolding before me through the faith of my three-year-old, which shed light on Luke's passage of Chapter 18, verse 17 which states, "Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it."

  I shall try to live with the thought of how God will take care of all our needs...even if it takes His providing a bit of Shout and Tide to get the job done here on earth.

*** Coming across this writing fifteen years later was like unlocking a time capsule intended to bring comfort all these 15 years later.  As my son's wings are in the process of unfurling and preparing to take flight I'm reminded that we all must go through the process of making the faith we've been taught our own.  And though, at 18 my son might now react the way I did when his younger siblings tap his designer sleeve with splattery condiments...at one time- raw, unblemished faith was there and has burrowed deep within.  The word of God never returns void.  Time to reflect on those choice Scriptures that spoke to me back then...do NOT worry and have child-like faith.  Of course the One who created my son loves him more than I ever could and won't stop reaching out to Isaac as he begins his adult journey. If he could use ketchup on my sleeve to turn my eyes to Him...I'm sure He has more than a few clever methods up His sleeve for my son as well.