Last Friday, January 5, I took the checs over to St. Mary's NO Church in Star City to our regular Blue Knights & Little Flowers Catholic homeschoolers meeting. At one point ByzCat had to take one of her littlies to the bathroom, and afterwards popped into the nave to listen to one of the other (older) kids practicing on the organ.....when she and her child returned to the room where we were having our class, she said "You'll NEVER guess what I just saw when I peeked into the church to watch (name of other child) practice -

THERE WAS A WOMAN IN THE TABERNACLE AREA TALKING ON A CELL PHONE!!!!"

A note of explanation here - the tabernacle is not on or behind the altar, but in a little niche on the Gospel side of the nave, just outside the sanctuary. There is a kneeler there, and a chair, and a pencil with paper and a 'prayer jar' (don't ask - it's been there as long as I can remember) for personal intentions/thanksgivings.

Evidently this woman was in the niche, rubbing shoulders with Jesus in the tabernacle, so to speak, chatting away on her cell phone!

EEEWWWW.

Here's a picture of my children's Chrismation on December 3, 2006 at St. Mary's Holy Protection Byzantine Church. If you follow their line of sight you can see that, as Father is giving them the final blessing at the end of the Sacrament, their eyes are not on him, but on the Cross he holds in his hand.

When we assisted at Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, we went forward to receive Jesus in Communion....my younger son was directly in front of me in line, as we do when we assist at NO Masses, in case I have to reassure the minister that he does receive. When he reached the Extraordinary Minister - a grandmotherly-looking lady who was administering Communion with more-than-common reverence - he made a profound bow, at which point she looked at me and asked "does he receive?" I assured her that he does, whereupon she elevated the Host and said "The Body of Christ" and my son responded "AMEN!" and opened his mouth to receive his Lord. She gave him the Body and then touched his cheek and said sotto voce "how beautiful!"
Even little children are called to be witnesses to the power and grace of the Holy Spirit and the love of God.