Through the eyes of a child...

I had the tremendous opportunity yesterday afternoon/evening to visit a friend, Julie, and her three boisterous boys. 


Julie is the sister of one of my best friends, Laura. While Laura and her family (Mike, Mary Grace (1 yr) and Irenaeus (birthday-to-be soon!) live many miles away in Woodbridge, VA, Tim and I are lucky to have Julie, her husband, Jonathan, and their three boys living a short way away in Rock Hill, SC. 


Since Jonathan was out of town this weekend, I visited with with Julie, Caleb (4? or 5...?), Ethan (3) and newborn Gabriel. I had a wonderful time playing with Caleb & Ethan while Julie did a few chores and I even got to assist in changing and feeding little Gabe. (What a joy!)


The most wonderful part of the day was attending mass with all four of them and I had a wonderful spiritual experience of seeing the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass through the eyes of a child as I had never imagined. 


Caleb being slightly older than Ethan, he was able to stay calm and quiet through Mass for the most part (though he is still a kid). Ethan, on the other hand, is at that perfect age of being distracted by everyone and everything - as you would, of course, expect from a three-year-old boy. 


When Ethan continued to have trouble focusing on sitting still, I took him outside for a bit during the Homily. We sat down on a bench there and he was still very upset. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that he wanted to go to the "Drop In" (the potluck dinner they were attending after mass). I explained to him that we couldn't go yet because it had not started. In fact, everyone that was going was back inside the church! This didn't help him in the least. I considered him for a moment and wondered what the next best step was to take. Should I stay out here the rest of mass? If I took him back inside surely he would just get upset again, I thought. But why? 


What made mass interesting for me, I wondered? I knew the answer instantly - Jesus was present there. How simple. Jesus WAS there... what made Ethan any less able to understand that beautiful fact? No reason I could think of. So, I decide to tell him. I'm sure he had been told before but he is young and it is easy for us mature adults to lull ourselves into boredom at mass if we are not focused enough. Satan can so easily tempt us into thinking of our grocery lists. So much harder it must be for a child to focus when they are used to running and playing all day long.


I sat Ethan on my lap and said, "Okay, Ethan. We cannot go to the drop-in yet because it has started. I know you want to go now but guess what?" I paused for the effect. 
He stared at me, listening. "What?" he whispered. 


I continued, "There is something SOOO much cooler going on in there!" and I pointed to the doors of the church. "Someone is going to be there VERY soon. Do you know who it is?"

"No."


"Jesus is going to be there."


His eyes widened and I was honestly surprised. I really had no idea what kind of response I would get but he was in total shock. His ability to believe my words was plain. Jesus was going to be there.


I continued, "Do you want to see Jesus?"


"Yes!" came the gleeful reply.


"You've seen him before, you know. What is it that the priest holds up during the mass?"
Of course, I should have counted on this but it made me laugh when the reply came: "The book!"


I chuckled, "Yes, that is true and Jesus is present in those words in the Bible that we read. What else does the priest hold up?"


"A cross!"


Okay, so we were getting a little off-topic but he was understanding elements of the mass - that was a good sign. 


"Well, sometimes he holds a cross, too. But do you remember seeing him hold up a piece of bread?" Ethan nodded. "Well, when the priest holds up the bread that's when Jesus is there! He is the bread! Isn't that cool? Jesus is right there in the bread! And then after that the priest holds up a cup with wine and you know what?


He was riveted, "What?!"


"Jesus is in that wine, too! He is right there!"


His shock continued and he remained very quiet. I continued, "So, do you want to see Jesus?"


"Yes!"


"Okay. You can see Him. BUT in order to do so you have to be quiet through ALL of the rest of mass and you have to sit still. Because otherwise, we're going to have to come back out here and you'll miss Him. Okay?"


"Okay," with a nod.


"Are you going to be quiet?"


"Yes."


"Okay. Let's go!"


I carried him inside and we stood in the back while Father finished his Homily. While standing in the back, I noticed the table setup with the bread and wine there ready to be brought forward at the presentation of the gifts. I whispered to Ethan, "Look, Ethan. Do you see the bread there on the table?" He nodded. "That is the bread that is going to become Jesus! So you have to watch the bread, okay?" Another nod.


Once the Homily was over we went back and sat with Julie, Caleb and Gabriel. I held Ethan on my lap and we sang as they brought the gifts forward. At the consecration, I pointed to the priest and bread that was changing into Our Lord and I whispered to Ethan, "Look, there He is! That's Jesus!" He stared once again.


I'll admit, he wasn't completely focused but to me that didn't much matter. Whenever I pointed and whispered he look intently.  When we prepared to go up to receive, I told him, "When you get older, you'll get to eat Jesus and then He will live inside you! And he will help you to be a good boy and grow up strong!" The smile on his face was priceless.


The spell broke when mass was over but to me that was no matter... Ethan had watched and listened and saw Jesus there - sacrificed for us all. I go to mass several times a week and I do try to focus on what is really happening there. But this mass . . . though distracting and not having even attended the entirety of it . . . was one of the most wonderful of my life -- because I was able to view it through the eyes of a child.


Thank you, Ethan.


::in HIM::
Lauren