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Busy Children

Dear Sr. Edwina: The child in the pew in front of me last week had toys everywhere and was so active, I couldn’t concentrate on Mass; then, during the homily, she started crying and wouldn’t stop. Please comment.

Concerned Catholic: My, my…I’m afraid this is a delicate issue. Perhaps clarification is in order. It is my humble opinion that children are put on this earth to learn to love and serve God, as are all of us. Learning to love and serve God, dear Christians, requires the art of discipline. It has come to Sr. Edwina attention that some adults have confused “training children” with “entertaining children”. While Sr. Edwina urges parents and children to play, Mass is most certainly not the time nor place for such activity. First of all, it is a parent’s responsibility to provide both example and formation for their child. Regular Mass attendance and respect during such attendance is an important part of that. Secondly, it is good for children to know that the world does not exist to entertain them. Children can be taught from an early age, that gratitude to God, and respect for others are proper and expected. Perhaps the parents in question would be wise to hold the child so that she could observe the Mass, if the child is still not content, possibly giving her a toy to play with, would be in order. In the instance where a child is interrupting the Mass with busyness or wailing, he or she should be taken to either the cry room or somewhere outside the worship space so that others might enjoy the celebration. Children are one of the most beautiful gifts we are blessed with. Training them to love and serve God should be the gift of thanks we offer in return.

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