I was just reading the medj stories [on this site] and it brought so many memories of special God events and signal graces, where God has shown some special grace to me and I thought I'd share one here in inspirational stories. When my youngest 2 children were 1 and 3 years of age I went to Mass every Friday [mass began at 1200 noon after one hour of eucharistic adoration, this was my most wonderful day besides Sunday I would have liked to do this everyday but finances didn't allow and neither did mass times, as Mass was celebrated on week days at 730am however in Lent I took my children to make nine day mass novenas, I'd packed breakfast, we ate in one of the towns parks and then I would deliver my children to their schools [we live 30 minutes out of town where my parish church is located]. I often picked up my older children from their schools and took them as well for Friday confession, adoration and Mass. So at this time I would arrive at the church with either, all my children or just the 3 youngest. My children knew the drill, we went to confession, we prayed and we stayed for Mass and then for thanksgiving prayers after mass and it took about 2 to 2 and a half hours but they were always mostly very good and never complained. Daily or weekday Mass goers in our parish numbered only around a dozen people if that. And they were all beautiful holy people. Who used to always smile lovingly at me..One Friday during the consecration of the blessed eucharist when my youngest was one year old and my second youngest was 2 going on 3 they ran from the pew and then ran around and around Father and the altar as He held the blessed eucharist and the Chalice aloft and then He genuflected and the children returned to me in our seat. When this first happened I was mortified and followed them up to the altar calling them back but they took no notice of me. I knelt there at the alter with everyone watching as it was the conscreation. I apologised perfusly to Father after Mass but he said I was not to worry or do anything about it if it happened in the future. Of course I reprimanded to two littlies and told them never to do that again yet they did not seem to understand that this is what they were doing. This continued at every Friday Mass, but only during the consecration never at any other time in these 2 hours. and this went on for about 2 years and everyone at the Friday Mass accepted this and Father became so adept at expecting his and never spoke a word to me about it nor did the Friday Mass goers. The children were like two little angels that were absolutely mesmerised at this time and when my older children were there at Friday mass they learnt to accept this too but initially they were very amused at this behaviour. Amazingly the 2 youngest children never did this at the Sunday masses and I was so relived that it never happened in front of all the parishners. However it all came to a complete halt when at one Sunday Mass the children raced up to the altar at the consceration and did this, at a Sunday Mass, it took me by complete surprise. The person in the front row seat got her 15 year year old son to grab them as they ran around father and the altar and I was in hot persuit [the red lobster that I was, I was so embarrassed]. The two children seemed to come out of their trance as they were chaced from the altar and they raced across to the side of the podium and knocked over the lectors stand and it broke, I grabbed them and went outside for the remainder of the Mass . After Mass Father O'Hallaran came out to me and stated that he was very upset with the poor 15 year old boy who tried to grab my children as they ran around father and the alter. Then he said to me you didn't recieve did you Carolyn? and I said no, he then walked me into the Church and opened the tabernacle and gave me holy communion he told me not to be concerned and so many of the parishners were so wonderful a new stand was built. My two youngest children never did this again at any Mass
Ah, Father O'Hallaran was my kind of priest! He sensed the action of the Holy Spirit in all this. Notice his concern that you receive Holy Communion. His considerate calm robbed off on his parishioners,too! Your children's rambunctiousness reminds me of the behavior of my kids during family Rosary: holy chaos! Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
Dear Mario, Holy Choas!, occured in house as well at the time of saying the rosary. There was either a phone call for someone, the vegetables or stew cooking would boil over, a child would get injured 10 minutes before the appointed rosary time etc etc, we changed rosary times many times to accomodate all everyones needs and escape the phone calls. We eventually learnt to take the phone of the hook and stick to the time that best suited the majority in the household and of course we all felt a wonderful tangible peace after the rosary was completed. I think I did not explain myself very well with the above post, what I was hoping to convey was what I believe to be a type of mystical experience that my youngest two children had at the Friday Mass. My two youngest children were both very quite and very good I suppose because they had so many older siblings they learnt the art of waiting, [but as my older children moved away from home the two youngest took up the slack and I would no longer consider them as patient]. However at this time both loved going to Mass, confession, saying the rosary before Masss with our little congegation and thanksgiving prayers after Mass. As I said Father told me not to be concerned with this behaviour but for at least the first month to six weeks of this occuring I would keep them seperated in the seat and hold them tightly, however as Father commenced the consecration they easily slipped out of my grip and I would be holding them very tightly; I don't know how this happened. The children were both mesmerised, staring at some point above the altar and Fathers head and neither one of them would look away to the congegation or any other place, nor would they say a word, nor laugh, nor squeal or make any noise whatsoever, the expressions on their faces were radiant and angel like, they never bumped into anything and their running was syncronised, they seemed to remain the same distance, around three meters, from each other at all times. As soon as Father had placed the Chalice back on the altar, the children silently walked back to our seat and remained quite and calm until we got home after Mass. The people that attended Friday Mass at that time, said the same as Father, that it never interfered or distracted them from adoring Our Lord at this sacred time. As you noted Father O'Hallaran was a saint, I know that if this happened with practically any other priest it would not have been tolerated, but this never happened at any other Masses or with any other priests at other Masses we attended, not even at Father O'Hallaran's Sunday Masses, Until of course the last time they did this. My belief is that the children must have got a glimpse of heaven at this time or were possibly following their angels, I don't know, I can't explain the behaviour any other way.
I always pay attention to children at mass, especially very small children. You never know what you may see. I also pay attention to my fellow worshippers. Hebrews 13:2 New International Version (NIV) 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
