Domestic Churches

My daughter grabs the corner of the towel and tosses it off of her face. She squeals and laughs as she enjoys the playful game of peekaboo! During a recent bout of peekaboo, I reflected on how we sometimes play peekaboo with God.

One of the best parts of being a dad is that I have a good excuse for wandering down the toy aisles and buying the coolest toys again. The best of all toy aisles is the Lego aisle! I bought my daughter a new Lego set for her birthday and she eagerly got to work building her new castle.

Recently my toddler daughter was fussing during mass, so I carried her to the back of the church. She rested her head on my shoulder and began to sleep. There are few experiences as a parent more magical than this.

The greeting cards have all been sent. The gifts have all been unwrapped. The colored lights have been packed away. The feast has been consumed and the tins of cookies are now empty. The radio has ended its nonstop carols. The Nativity has been removed from the mantle. This is the first week of ordinary time. What's next?

A new family came into being! My cousin was married, and the wedding made it clear that their family is a domestic church. Before they said their "I do"s, they made their own personal vows to each other. My cousin began his vows by promising to keep God and his amazing grace at the center of their new family. This is a domestic church, a family with God and his amazing grace at the center.

My great aunt died and I attended the funeral. As the liturgy began, we gathered around the baptismal font, placed a white pall on the casket, and sprinkled baptismal water. The priest explained that the white pall reminded us of the white baptismal garment my aunt received many years earlier. From that moment on the word 'interconnected' repeated in my mind for the remainder of the liturgy.

My niece was baptized this week! As the ceremony began, her friends and family gathered around her at the baptismal font. My daughter looked up at me and said "Daddy, I can't see." I lifted her up and held her throughout the ritual so she could see what was happening.

My daughter started kindergarten last week, but it feels like yesterday that I held her for the first time in the delivery room. The idea of a child being in a mother's womb as a permanent dimension of motherhood resonated with me as we sent my daughter to kindergarten for the first time.

We've gone on family vacations for years, and when I think back over the time we've spent together, the highlights always include our meals.

When one of my daughters had a program every night for a week, I spent more one on one time with my other daughters and I reflected on this time as another expression of my domestic church. It is fun to have the whole family together and it's fun to have one on one time with one daughter. This daddy-daughter time made me think about our time with our heavenly Father.