Church Life

Sitting in mass this morning, I had a hard time hearing the first reading because of loud kiddos in the back.  It makes me smile to hear the kids.  But then the mama took the kiddos out, and it was quiet.  Don't get me wrong, I like to hear the readings.  But I missed the kids.  Mainly because I think the mom rushed them out to appease others.  I've gotten enough stink eyes from enough people over the years to put a lot of thought into it all.  I loved the church this morning.  People seemed to know one another, like one another, be a community.  I felt welcome.  Not that anyone did anything in particular, but the vibe of the church was relaxed and comfortable.

Jesus told us that the most important commandment was to love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind; the next was to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:38-39).  Love is where it's at, baby.  And when we welcome others, directly or indirectly, we offer our love to them.  We allow them space to be who they need to be, and grant them a place with us.  We join together without set expectations and allow things to unfold.

K was asking me a lot about babies because of our time with family the other night.  Babies offer such an amazing level of trust.  They're unlike any other people, they trust inherently, as part of their every day lives.  One of my favorite songs from church is The Servant Song.  Kids let you be their servant, they trust you to do what's right for them.  What's more daunting is the rest of the song--pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant, too.  Holy stink.  And it comes for us.  It might be coming for me faster than I want.  There will be a time when I simply cannot do for myself, and I will have to put my faith in others.  Community, welcome, acceptance, and love....so important.  As we move throughout this life, connections are vital.  I leave you with one last song, one of my favorites from my 20s, which seem sooooo long ago at this point....  Come Back to Me.