April 15, 2009

‘Jesus, wake up!’

By Julie Filby

On Palm Sunday, the four of us piled into the car for 10:30 Mass stocked with the essentials needed for a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old—“My Mass Book,” paper, crayons and stickers, and emergency Cheerios. We left at 10:10 a.m., the usual departure time that allows us to sit in our “regular seats” in the church.

Being Palm Sunday, the always-packed St. Thomas More, was even more full than usual, so our regular section—near the “front of the back,” at the end of the pew (in case a quick exit is needed) was occupied.

In typical Catholic Mass fashion, we headed toward the front of the church, with the other not-as-early-to-arrive worshippers, to find seats.

I like the idea of sitting closer anyway, for several reasons. Among them, the theory that your kids will behave better the closer they are to the “action.” My mom (mother of five) tells me it worked for them when we were growing up. (Who would have dared to misbehave while in Father O’Hare’s line of sight?)

However for now, out of courtesy, we generally sit closer to the back, on the end. Never quite sure if and when “Volcano Vaughn” (my passionate and spirited 2-year-old) might erupt.

But on Palm Sunday, sitting closer to the altar, near the beautiful and “very, very, very, very, very big” (in the words of my 5-year-old Quinn) marble crucifix, we were given an unexpected and profound reminder of the beauty of the resurrection. A reminder delivered by a lively 2-year-old.

Before Mass started, I pointed out the crucifix to the kids and mentioned that it was time to say good morning to Jesus and say our prayers.

Vaughn responded in a whisper, “Jesus sleeping.”

Generally, I don’t think of Jesus as being asleep on the crucifix, but looking at the beaten down, yet serene and relieved face of Jesus on the cross, it does appear that he could be sleeping. Getting some much-needed and much-deserved rest after an intense battle with politicians, soldiers, townspeople and even some of his closest friends.

At the end of Mass when we were gathering coats and cleaning up Cheerios, out of nowhere, Vaughn looked back at us, in an amazing moment of inspiration and said, “Jesus, wake up!”

Jesus, wake up? Exactly what he did on Easter.

And not only did Jesus wake up, we all did. We awakened our spiritual lives, rejuvenated our faith by renewing our baptismal vows and celebrated the gift that he gave us that first Easter—the opportunity to spend eternal life with him and his Father. A gift so important even a toddler gets it.

While it’s not uncommon for parents to see the glory and generosity of God in their children, I couldn’t help but feel that we had received an extraordinary grace from God that morning through our daughter. So meaningful, yet so simple.

On Easter, when we dialogued with the priest, “He is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!”—I gratefully thought, “Jesus, wake up! Alleluia! Alleluia!”

Julie Filby is a staff writer and administrative assistant for the Denver Catholic Register. She is a parishioner at St. Thomas More in Centennial.