The Spirit at Work

I wrote last week about why I bring my toddler to Mass as well as about a moving encounter I had with someone just before daily Mass.  In the couple of weeks that I have made it a point to go to Mass every weekday, I am amazed at how much the experience seems to be influencing Katie.

I don't take Katie with me to daily Mass every day.  There are lots of mornings where she stays at home with Bryan and watches playhouse Disney or whatever kiddie show Bryan decides to put on TV.  I know she loves it since she gets to watch TV which doesn't happen during the day for her very often.

I have noticed an amazing transformation in Katie's behavior in the few weeks that she's been coming with me to daily Mass two to three times a week.  She used to squirm around a lot and would often need me to pop a pacifier in her mouth to keep her happy.  She would also rummage through my purse and pull everything out when she wasn't fixated on trying to destroy my Magnificat.  Amid all of those toddler antics, she began holding her hands out in the orans posture during the Our Father simply by watching others around her doing it.

Sometime in the past two weeks she has become a lot less antsy at Mass.  She still moves around a lot, but now she doesn't rummage through my purse and can typically make it through the entire Mass with no toys or drink to occupy her.  The kneeler seems to be all she needs to be happy.  And she seems to be picking up more on how she should behave at Mass.  Saturday during Mass she insisted on standing on the kneeler during the consecration rather than letting me or Bryan hold her like we usually do.  I glanced over at her at one point and saw her staring at the altar with her little hands adorably folded.  It was the sweetest thing.  I couldn't help but nudge Bryan and motion for him to look.  The two Masses she's been to since Saturday have been more of the same.  Today she has begun trying to make the sign of the cross.  It's not perfect, but you can tell what she is trying to accomplish.  I can't help but think that the Holy Spirit is at work in this precious little child.