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| ENTHUSIASM CAN BE CONTAGIOUS — Somewhere along the way, parents forget how contagious enthusiasm can be, writes Anne Brunette, a mother and family therapist in Fond du Lac. “To me this means that we do not censor our excitement about God, that we do not worry so much about what other people think, and that we just praise our Lord like children and let the enthusiasm spread.” (Catholic Herald file photo by Sam Lucero) |
If you have ever taken a 2-year-old to church, you know that things can be unpredictable. One Sunday recently, the choir and congregation had finished singing the responsorial psalm and it was completely quiet. My son apparently loved the song so decided to clap and say, “YEAH” so loudly that the entire church heard him, including the choir. Of course, this was the day we decided to sit four rows from the front.
My first instinct, like many others around me, was to smile and laugh. My second was to quickly say, “shhhh” and cover his mouth with my hand. A devastated look came over his face that said to me, “I want to clap; I liked that song; why can’t I clap?”
Suddenly, I regretted reacting the way I did. I felt bad for trying to silence him. All he wanted to do was show his excitement for the song. After all, don’t I want him to be enthusiastic about praising God? As I thought about what had transpired, I realized that my thoughts were not exactly Christ-like. The thoughts that immediately came to mind were, “What will other people think? Kids should be quiet in church!” Then I realized what a great lesson this was! What if we got that excited about singing and praising God — and showed that excitement at Mass? Would we draw even more people into church?
This Gospel that day was the parable of the mustard seed falling on various types of soil. The priest talked about the process, sometimes the long process, of opening our hearts to what Jesus is saying to us. That day, thanks to my 2-year-old, the message was loud and clear: Do not stifle the excitement of praising God Let the enthusiasm be contagious. I’m sure the choir would love it if we all celebrated their beautiful music the way my son did!
Not coincidentally, there were several teens at Mass that day who spoke about a mission trip they had taken to help those in need and share their faith. They also spoke with excitement about what they had learned as they were spreading the Gospel message. It turned out that they got as much out of the experience as they gave. Their faith and friendships grew, and they came back motivated to start their own youth group in order to continue what they started.
As adults and parents, we sometimes believe that we need to present a calm, mature and serious front in our prayer life. Somewhere along the way, we forget how contagious enthusiasm can be and that “whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:15) To me this means that we do not censor our excitement about God, that we do not worry so much about what other people think, and that we just praise our Lord like children and let the enthusiasm spread!
I learned a lot from children during that Mass. If each of us experienced that excitement and shared it with those around us or at least encouraged others (like our children) to express it, think of how pleased God would be!
(Brunette, a family therapist and mother of three, is a member of Holy Family Church, Fond du Lac.) |
