LETTERS.

Suffer the children

MY REACTION TO THE JULY SOUNDING BOARD, "FOR cryin' out loud, let's keep kids from disrupting Mass" by Joel Schorn, was best summed up by a letter to the editor that appeared in our archdiocesan paper, the St. Louis Review (June 18, 1999). The anonymous author wrote, "Somehow I can't imagine Jesus saying, `Let the little ones come to me, but keep those crying babies behind that glass.'" As baptized members of the Catholic Church, small children should be a welcomed part of the assembly.

The concept "It takes a village" is often misconstrued. It does not mean that parents relegate the care and teaching of their children to others, but rather recognize the influence all members of a community have on each child. I do not expect others to discipline my children, but I do expect others to greatly influence them.

Schorn addresses a very real concern over parents who do not attempt to exercise any control over their children's behavior at Mass. We all have witnessed these displays, and not just at Mass. A distinction needs to be made, however, between truly disruptive behavior and the babbling of babies and small children. Should a crying baby or an out-of-control preschooler be whisked out of Mass? Absolutely. Should a babbling toddler be subjected to dirty looks from another parishioner? Absolutely not.

There should be tolerance for the smallest members of our community. Yes, sometimes they're distracting, but they are also a tremendous joy and blessing.

Cathy Donahue St. Louis

As a single, never-married Catholic, I have no right to pray in silence at Mass. Although we have a training room and a nursery, some families seem to think it's cute to let their children cry and cut up during Mass. Since I'm single, people think I'm just an old maid. I talked to my pastor, who comes from a family of 14 kids, and he said, "Oh, but they're so cute."

Carolyn Luetgens Chattanooga, Tenn.

Schorn's article brought forth a range of strong emotions in me. As a mother of four (very soon to be five) children, ages 1 1/2, 5, 6, and 9, I took issue with many of the characterizations of parents of young children. Perhaps I am more fortunate than most, but I have never witnessed parents who have ignored their children's behavior and let them roam unattended throughout church.

I can assure your readers that I am very embarrassed when my children are not perfectly behaved, and yet I realize that appropriate Mass behavior is indeed a learning experience. Separate family Masses may be wonderful, but lumping all of the young children together does not tend to show them models of appropriate behavior and often just leads to an elevation of the noise level and inattentiveness.

I think that Schorn's suggestion about preparing our children for Mass at home was the most constructive in the article. I have thought many times about leaving the children home with my husband. However, I feel certain that Jesus welcomes their presence at Mass. I'm sure the gatherings of the 5,000 to hear Him preach were not quiet affairs, either.

I have a suggestion for those who do not want to be bothered by children at Mass. Choose a time when young families are typically not in attendance (such as the earlier Mass).

Joanne C. Dacek Rockville Centre, N.Y.

In the early '90s, I was a single mother of a small, active boy. We did not feel welcome at Mass, and I wasn't about to pay a sitter because Mass is for family. It is because of attitudes like those of Schorn's that I stopped going to Mass and eventually left the church.

Adira Vardarvin Lakewood, Ohio 

Finding the right direction

I was very impressed with Heidi Schlumpfs article, "Spiritual guides: How to stop and ask for direction," in the July issue. I commend her for thorough research of knowledgable persons in the field of spiritual direction.

The article summarized a number of key learnings I have found helpful in my brief two-year experience of working with directees in a parish setting. After reading this article, I was encouraged to continue my own efforts to grow in prayer so that I may be more open to God's working in the lives of those I am privileged to direct.

Sylvia Post Stockton, Calif.

I wanted to take the time to say that I love the new format of the magazine. Also, I want to thank you for the cover story on spiritual direction. I am currently taking a course in spiritual companioning at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and I found the article very helpful and shared it with members of our class.

Vanessa White Chicago

Act locally

Thank you for making available to a broader public the insights and works of Wendell Berry in the interview "Care for the earth is a local call" in the June issue. Wendell Berry's focus on the local is an appropriate counterbalance to corporate globalization, and his focus on the common good is consistent with Catholic social teaching.

During his most recent visit to Mexico, Pope John Paul II called on the church in America "to cooperate with every legitimate means in reducing the negative effects of globalization, such as the domination of the powerful over the weak, especially in the economic sphere, and the loss of the values of local cultures in favor of a misconstrued homogenization." It seems that the pope clearly aligned himself with Berry's "community party" in his support of local cultures against the forces of "neoliberalism" and "homogenization."

When it comes to support for environmental issues, Christianity has not been silent or concerned only about the soul! At the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, our fundamental image for Christian action has been that of the steward. It is the same image that Berry holds up.

In our publications we've been gathering stories of religious groups doing community-supported agriculture, environmental projects, and outreach in education in sustainable practices to the local communities.

Wendell Berry's work has inspired us to keep up our own efforts.

Brother David Andrews, C.S.C. Executive Director, National Catholic Rural Life Conference Des Moines, Iowa 

Wide awake

I enjoyed Kevin Axe's article, "Five ways to stay awake at Mass," in the June issue. I think it was very fair, clear, and informative. I have to admit that as soon as I read the title the words of Blessed Josemaria Escriva came to mind: "If you think the Mass is too long, it is because your love is short."

These words inspired me last year to study the history of the Mass, and eventually they led me to go to daily Mass. Now I could never fall asleep. I love it. I can't imagine my day without receiving the Eucharist, hearing the Word of God, praying with others, and praying in silence. This is such an important part of a relationship, to be able to be together and in silence. Thank you for a well-balanced article.

M. Rivera Milwaukee

Axe's article was just another in a series of lame articles on why Mass is boring. People don't come to Mass to be entertained, but they do expect to be engaged. Most people know that even TV can be more entertaining than Mass ever could, and that's why so few go.

We are not engaged because we have no relationship with the other people in the room. Mass must celebrate the God within that we have been journeying with during the past week. Relationship, developed in small groups, celebrated at weekly liturgy, is the answer. A meeting of pew warmers is destined to be boring.

A better question might be, "Why do those bored, disengaged people keep coming back?"

Robert Cahill O'Fallon, lll.

Garden of plenty

The article "How does our garden grow?" by Bishop Robert Morneau in the June issue was interesting and challenging, as are most of his writings. Morneau takes stewardship and expands its notion to include social-justice issues.

It was not so long ago that the word stewardship was unknown in Catholic . Gradually it came to be understood as a sharing of time, talent, and treasure, but Morneau extends it into a whole new area, that of social justice.

There are indeed many flowers in his garden, each of them a treasured gift from the Lord.

Bishop Joseph L. Imesch Joliet, Ill.

Prayer witness

I found the editors' interview with Michael Cuneo, "Is the pope Catholic?" in the May issue, very interesting. I do however disagree with his understanding of Catholic prolife activists. I understand that his experience is from the outside, and it does seem that praying the Rosary or holding pictures of Jesus or Mary may seem strategically disastrous (to use his words). But I have found that this form of preaching is more successful than a tirade of angry insults and the challenges some prolife Christians express.

What is needed more than ever is a prayerful witness by more Catholics and Christians. In fact, it will be primarily through prayer and fasting that this demon will be cast out.

What eludes Cuneo is the fact that these people are not ritualizing for themselves, but instead have been moved by the Spirit to do the one thing most powerful in the struggle to respect the lives of the unborn, namely praying.

Pablo Serna Austin, Texas

Faith for the future

I thoroughly enjoyed the article "The passion of two thieves" by Patrick T. Reardon in the April issue.

In this very complex world we live in, it is refreshing to see someone take an oft overlooked detail of the Passion story and uncover its significance to our lives today. It is not only a lesson in history, but also a lesson in faith.

Name withheld Arlington Heights, Ill.