My husband's facebook update from last sunday:
"Spent most of mass listening to Joseph's long, convoluted argument about how Jesus could be in the tabernacle and in the bread and wine* at the same time. The short version is that it apparently involves Fr. Lehocky pushing a button on the tabernacle so that Jesus can fly around the church and land in the bread and wine."
Those moments make parenting worth while. (And I needed that moment, because prior to the sweet explanation to my husband, I had had to take Joseph out of the church twice for time out due to willful bad behaviour, including hitting mommy.)
But this story made me happy. While yes, it is not theologically or physically correct, it does my heart good that the visits we make to a church for five minutes of adoration and explanation do make a difference. A few weeks ago Joseph proclaimed at the moment of consecration that this was when Jesus came out of his little heart and into the bread and wine.
I whisper to him during mass (when I get to sit through mass with him that is and do not need to remove myself with a baby to the nursery) and explain to him what is going on. "This is a letter from Paul that they are reading. He was a friend of Jesus. Do you know what he is telling us? He is telling us that we need to be very good, with our words and with our bodies. Like your arms. They are not for hitting, but for hugging." I paraphrase whatever is being read on the fly so it is understandable for him. I try to put tiny little faith lessons throughout our days. And explanations like that make it clear that those lessons churn around in Joseph's mind.
1 comment:
Children's explanations of things are always fascinating. I too have been on the receiving end of some hilarious theology during church. They seem to look all around, take it all in, and then make whatever sense of it they can. It all evens out in the end.
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