Denver Catholic

23 DENVER CATHOLIC | DECEMBER 9-22, 2017 Bishop's Column Most Rev. Jorge Rodriguez "What color is God's skin…" T his says the chorus of the popular Spanish-language song by Ivonne and Ivette, "El Color de la Piel de Dios" ("The Color of God's Skin"), which many Spanish speakers may well know and have probably sang before. The song says that God's skin contains all colors: "Black, yellow, red and white: All are the same to the eyes of God." As the bright light, in its passing through a prism, expands into the spectrum of colors, as in rainbow, so is God's family; so is the Church. We all pro- ceed from the same Divine Light, which is God our Father, but upon the reception of that light, we lay it out in a multitude of skin colors, of cultural and devotional traditions, of music and song, of languages and of our expressions of the love of God. Much has been said about the His- panic and Latin-American commu- nity in the Catholic Church, among the American community that has received us. Yet, in the Archdiocese of Colorado there are also other Catholic communities that make our Church beautiful and rich in tradition and traditions. The Catholic Church (which means "Universal") is truly a feast of colors, sounds, languages and traditions, of which we must be proud — all united as brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of one, same Father. On Oct. 29, the Lord gifted me with a beautiful spiritual experience. I cel- ebrated Mass for the African Catholic community of Denver at Queen of Peace. As I prepared my homily, I dis- covered that the African peoples have a very profound sense of the presence and action of God in everything that happens; great love for life and family; appreciation for nature and a grate- ful respect for the elderly and their authority, among other values. Their liturgical participation is dynamic, as when they bring up the gifts for the Mass, walking with devout and beau- tiful cadence. Their songs are full of life and rhythm and, in a away, express a unique spontaneity and connection with life. The joy of the liturgy is felt in every aspect. I also had the oppor- tunity to partake in the reception, made up respectful greetings, colorful dresses, beautiful dances performed by children and youth, and a delicious meal with numerous dishes. This las Nov. 5, I had the opportu- nity to celebrate and share with the Italian community at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. Although now the majority speaks mostly English, we celebrated an Italian-language Mass, and they responded very well in Ital- ian. They prayed as we pray, yet their love for their Italian roots was evident, as their love for their language and that Catholic faith embedded in the Italian soul and family. Their warmth, openness and delicious dishes of the Italian cuisine make you feel in Italy, even though the parish is in the heart of Denver! There I listened to the story of this immigrant community, also ingrained — as that of today's immigrants — with nostalgia for their homeland, di— culties of hard labor, poverty and discrimination. But also with much faith! With that faith and love for the Church, they were able to build a beautiful church, as that of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. May we always keep in mind the beauty of our Catholicity, learn to appreciate the di¥ erent forms of being a Church and loving God, and maintain the unity of the same faith we profess and the same Eucharist, which allows us to acknowledge all as sons and daughters, children of the same Father; in Christ, our Savior; and in the Holy Spirit, who unites us all in the love of God. One God, whose skin color is expressed in the skin color of his children, who refl ect the light of God when they are united. Children in Mass are gifts, not distractions L ast issue, we published an arti- cle titled "How to survive Mass with a toddler" in hopes that it would be a source of encouragement for parents (like me) who struggle to teach their child to behave in Mass. Much to my surprise, the feed- back I've received has been rather unexpected.± One reader said they were o¥ ended by my advice to parents to sit in the front with their kids. "Maybe you should expand the state- ment to include 'never mind how dis- tracting you are to others, disregard Christian consideration of others and how you are undermining the wor- ship of others,'" they wrote. Another more politely suggested that parents take better advantage of cry rooms in churches, while a fellow parent wrote in and recounted how they remedied the issue by simply not bringing their small children to Mass. Not to sound brash, but: Really? I realize that these responses to an article meant to encourage young families in the thick of the most di— - cult and important task of their life — that is, parenthood — are not what the majority of my fellow Catholic broth- ers and sisters really think. But as a parent who is currently in the thick of it, I'd like to share what it's really like to bring a toddler to Mass and challenge those who seem annoyed by children in the pews to remember the words of Jesus: "Let the children come to me" (Mt 19:14). I think I can speak on behalf of any parent who's had a child act up in Mass that it's most stressful for us. I can also safely say that nobody is more distracted than the parents themselves. My wife and I couldn't tell you what the priest said in the homily most weeks. Add to the equa- tion a sneer or glare from someone nearby, and an already embarrassing situation begins to feel shameful. Here's my question, though: Why should a parent ever feel ashamed for bringing their child to Mass? Furthermore, why do some fellow parishioners — fellow members of the body of Christ — think it's OK to make parents feel that way?± If my daughter begins to truly mis- behave in the middle of Mass — I'm talking a full-on meltdown or deliber- ately disobeying my wife and I — then one of us takes her to the back of the Church. However, to those who sug- gest we remove kids from the church completely or retreat to the cry room, I've got news for you: That's exactly what they want. I don't know a two- year-old who can sit still for more than 10 minutes at time (excluding marathon runs of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood), and kids are smart — they will do anything possible to get to a space where they can run free — including throwing things, screaming or hitting. But it would be counter- productive to reward that kind of behavior, which is precisely why kids should not be whisked away to the cry room anytime they misbehave. As a convert to Catholicism, I've seen how other churches do it. Most other Christian churches, no matter the denomination, have Sunday school classes or programs that parents can leave their children at during the service. This is fi ne for those churches, but the celebration of the Mass is not the same as a regular church service. If, as the Catholic Church proclaims, the Mass, and the Eucharist in particular, is the "source and summit of the Chris- tian life" (CCC 1324), then children especially have every right to be there in the church, partaking in the holy sacrifi ce, as much as everybody else. This is made even more apparent at Jesus' words in the Gospel of Matthew. As a parent, I feel disheartened by some of these comments I've received. As a Catholic, I feel embarrassed. We are all part of the same body of Christ, attempting to reach the same para- dise. We may all have di¥ erent paths, but ultimately, Jesus was clear with his instructions to us as Christians: Love one another. I ask the naysay- ers: Is there love in making parents with small children feel unwelcome in Mass? Parishioners of any church should rejoice at the sights and sounds of children in Mass, because it means that the church is vibrant and alive. Please, Catholics: Let's do better. Be the vill age for struggling parents. We're all in this together. Aaron Lambert is the Communications Manager for the Archdiocese of Denver. AARON LAMBERT

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