Would you cut your toe nails in the pew before Mass?

"Why, of course not!" I hope you thought in your head, or perhaps you chuckled at the ridiculousness and absurdity of such a question, but unfortunately I witnessed just such a thing last evening.

There was a Mass being held to kick-off the religious education program at our church, and afterwards the students would have a chance to meet their teachers. I volunteered to fill in wherever needed this year and an 8th grade position opened up. So... that's where I am! Eighth grade - well, it certainly won't be boring! Anyway, back to the story...

So there I was, I had arrived at Mass some minutes beforehand so that I could prepare to receive our Lord. I try to sit up front in order to not be distracted, which would have been of high probability due to the amount of children, so I sat in the second row. A mother, her two daughters (or a daughter and a friend, I'm not sure which), and her son were sitting in the row ahead of me. While the church was by no means quiet, I knelt down to pray. I noticed as I was putting the kneeler down that the daughter was playing on her cell phone, momentarily I was a bit shocked, but then, not surprised. I was prompted to indignation at the lack of reverence and respect she was showing to our Lord, or rather at the mother's lack of direction to prompt her child to prayer, but I just tried to refocus on preparation for Mass. Not more than a moment later I heard, click, click, click, click.... click, click... and it kept going. It was followed by a whispered, but surprised, "Mom, what are you doing?!" And then a giggle. At this point, I was thoroughly distracted and opened my eyes to see the MOTHER CLIPPING HER TOE NAILS!

And then my heart broke.

Hot, fiery anger rose to my chest, and tears welled up in my eyes. Really? She's clipping her toe nails? In this holy place? Right before we pray together and receive God into our beings? Lord, how could she? Here was a mother who was showing these children that it was not only okay, but also appropriate to clip toe nails in church before Mass. Lord, have mercy. My anger quickly evaporated with my next thought. This woman probably has no idea, and little comprehension, or understanding of the sacredness of the Holy Eucharist. She probably doesn't understand the holiness of the ground on which she stands (or rather, sits). But these children! These poor children who are being led away from sanctity by their mother, the very person who is the primary educator of faith (along with her husband) to her children. She is supposed to lead them to heaven, but rather... well, I can't make presumptions, but would you say that by her actions she was leading her children to heaven?

Not knowing exactly what to do, and wanting to do five different things at once, (grab the clippers, gently explain to the children proper pre-Mass behavior, lecture the mother, cry, or pray fervently for their souls) I settled on a prayer that came immediately to my head: the Fatima prayer. There are many Fatima prayers and I'm not sure if this one has a specific name, but it gave me a chance to pray for this family, for all the families there, and for all those whose ignorance keeps them from loving and adoring our Lord.

My God I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love Thee,

and I ask pardon for all those who do not believe,

do not adore, do not trust, and do not love Thee.

Amen.

I was advised by a priest at my old parish to pray this three times in a row, but I found myself continuing beyond the three times. Throughout the prayer I felt sorrow for the family in front of me. I know that I, too, can be distracted in church, and at times need to be prompted back to reverence. Sometimes it's too easy to casually dismiss the call to proper preparation before Mass. In our humanness we can subconsciously avert our attention from the great mystery of the Holy Eucharist. At that moment, the Lord graced me with a tiny bit of the giant love He has for this family. They don't know any better. The mother might, but her children probably not. And what if she, too, grew up in a similar situation, and is only teaching her children what she knows? They did come to Mass. They didn't blow it off, or stay home to watch television, or whatever else people busy themselves with when they don't want to attend Mass.

In the last minutes before Mass began, I found my prayer raised to praise. Praise you, Lord, for this family, for this mother who brought her children to Mass, for even if she isn't showing the best example of reverence in church, at least by bringing her children to Mass she is showing them that it's important. Thank you, Jesus, for this family and the road they are traveling to holiness.

After all that, Mass began. It was probably the most distracting Mass I've ever been to, but it was Mass, and Jesus was there. I had to chuckle to myself then when at the homily Monsignor told the story of Our Lady of Fatima and taught all the children the prayer I had been prompted to pray before Mass!