All those noises...even raspberries-Eucharistic Adoration

For many years now, my husband and I have made a weekly Eucharistic Adoration Holy Hour once a week. I cannot tell you how this has not only set my prayer life on fire, but my marriage on fire. We used to go in the middle of the night, but when I got pregnant, we quickly realized that we would need to change that time to a more suitable hour when the baby was born.So, every Monday evening, after dinner we have been going since Damian was 1 week old. 

The only difficulty with this is that in the middle of the night, it was just us. Now that we go during the day, we share the Holy Hour with someone else, and there are frequent visitors. Praise the Lord for that! We feel very blessed that the woman we share the Holy Hour with is very baby friendly, and is very welcoming to Damian and his noises. But, there still is a bit of a guilt, or that ingrained teaching that "babies should be seen and not heard" in church that we were raised with in the back of our heads... so we feel very conscious at times of the noises, and cries, and screams, and raspberries... that Damian makes.  

There is a voice in the back of your head that starts saying "Why go? Are you even focusing? You are just bothering others. This is suppose to be a quiet area." Then there is the other voice that says "This is New Feminism. Jesus said 'Let the Children come'. You are giving Glory to God, and Praising him just by taking care of your child keep it up". Then the other voice says "But you need your own quiet prayer, to talk to the Love of your soul. You need to speak to the Lord without distractions to hear his voice. You need some peace" Then I even hear the Pope say "A baby's cry, is the voice of God"... ...

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY VOICES? :-)

I have heard so many people stop going to Church because they feel like they "don't get anything out of it". I completely understand where those frustrations might start!But at the same time, I know what Glory it gives to God to bring his little ones to him. I keep trying to remind myself of ACTS. The four pillars of prayer Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. None of these have anything to do with me receiving, but everything is focused on God... not myself. Praising him, asking his forgiveness, giving him Thanks for the great deeds that he has done, and petition. These are the Four pillars of Mass, and of all Prayer. 

So, we are trying something new. We have decided that we will bring Damian into the Chapel in the beginning for prayer time. Let the Children come to me. Then after 10-15 minutes, I'll take Damian outside of the chapel for 20 minute play time with me, so Daddy can have 20 minutes of quiet prayer time with the Eucharistic Lord. Then we switch. Daddy takes Damian, and I will get 20 minutes of quiet prayer time. End with a few minutes of prayer again with Damian. 

Not saying this is perfect, but it seems to quiet all of those loud voices in my head. We will attempt this for a few weeks, and through prayer.. and experience we will find out if this is what the Lord wishes us to do with our Prayer time with him. 

All for the Glory of God...