I’ll be completely honest and admit that one of the things I miss most about celebrating Mass in the church building is watching the children.
If there is anything that will bring a smile to my heart it’s the antics of young children doing what they consider their best to get through an hour of confinement with adults talking at them and no opportunity to talk back.
Having managed to get through many years of Masses with six children in tow, I fully appreciate my vantage point from the choir loft. Believe me, I’ve seen it all.
But nothing tops the Sunday when a young family with several young children took their place in one of the first pews, visible to both the entire assembly and the presider. Their first tactical error was seating their most gregarious child in the most coveted end-of-pew seat, providing him with ease of escape.
I noticed as they entered that this little boy, maybe five years old, was carrying rosary beads in his hands. I winced a bit, remembering even rosary beads can be an unintended weapon in the hands of a young child.
The Mass began, and at first the young boy was fine, running the beads in and out of his hands as if he were actually praying. But before long, he discovered the “rosary bead spin.” Propelled by the weight of the crucifix, the beads circled faster and faster in his rotating hand.
Suddenly, he jumped out into the aisle with what looked like a small propeller in his little fist and yelled, “Hang on Jesus, we’re going for a ride!”
It was priceless! A delighted laugh rolled through the assembly and even the presider laughed out loud.
On the way home from Mass, with a foolish grin on my face, I considered how the whole scene was like a metaphor for our daily lives. With so many ups and downs, and things often spinning out of control, any of us could be the one yelling, “Hang on, Jesus!”
That memorable incident happened years ago. Today, during a time of incredible challenges which seem to grow exponentially every day, we are more likely to be asking Jesus to help us hold on as life seems to be spinning out of control.
It took a lot of prayer and spiritual growth to understand that’s exactly what God does – makes it possible for us to hold on. God doesn’t always make things better. But the Spirit of God is our strength, our courage, our wisdom and understanding, making all things possible – even hanging on when life takes us on the most challenging ride of our lives.
There are many Scripture verses that encourage us to find our strength in God, but one that I have come to rely on is one that I learned as a child, Psalm 23. I memorized it when I was young, never realizing how powerful the first line would be in all the most difficult times of my life:
“The Lord is my shepherd.”
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