Thoughts from our Chaplain: The kingdom belongs to them!

In Missio (Spring 2014) its National Director, Mgr James Cronin, asks, “And what is your reaction when a baby cries in church?” This happened to me recently. Coming towards the end of the short reflection after my homily, a baby must have thought “this pause is long enough!” and opened up widely his/her lungs. I observed, “To the young mum, who is carrying out her crying baby, I say don’t worry, because Jesus said, “Let the little ones come to me, the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

To me the more babies in church the better! Mgr Cronin opposed his Parish Council’s wish to build a crying room. He reminded us of a PP who advised his congregation on the very first Sunday of the year, “Children are like a New Year’s resolution: they have to be carried out!”

In Africa, when a baby starts crying, mother’s milk comes quite naturally to the rescue! Cultures differ and that has to be taken into account. James asks, “And now what about adults who talk in church?”

Fr Chris writes in the same issue of Missio about a woman who sued her husband for mental cruelty because he had not spoken to her for a year. When the judge questioned him about such reprehensible behaviour he simply replied, “Your Honour, I didn’t like to interrupt her!” Hopefully plenty of food for thought here for Lent.  

Piet Wijngaard, O.Carm.