As Washington D.C. geared up (or in my case, hunkered down) in preparation for the unprecedented influx of people expected to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama today, a telling paradox came to light.
There is an elderly man in our parish whose self-appointed mission during Mass is to angrily harass any parent who dares to linger in the apse of the church for a second after his or her child begins to fuss. It's discouraging to see this sort of behavior in a parish with so many small children who are so unusually well-behaved. Ours is not a church where parents inconsiderately allow their children to lay under the pews, talk loudly, or throw cheerios. Any misbehavior is dealt with promptly and efficiently by conscientious mothers and fathers, and noisy children are quickly ushered out the back of the church.