Silence!
Went to church tonight sort of as a way to catch my breath and listen to the choir, and hear the prayers. Kathy and the boys stayed home, leaving me to catch the vibe on my own. Which was good, I craved the silence from the outside world.
But of course, the priest, during his sermon, had to mention that we all had more time on our hands now that 'the Yankees didn't live up to expectations.'
I had to laugh.
Yet my mind was in serious wander mode. I thought of all the people gathered on a Saturday night, attending church for a variety of reasons - some people perhaps craving the silence, some praying for huge things, some dreading every second of it because they had something else to do.
I was there for peace and comfort, so it was easy to enjoy it all.
The man in the choir had a heavenly voice, never messing up even a single note. About halfway through mass, a girl of about 17 turned around to give the guy a thumbs up. Then, she did it every thirty seconds for the rest of the mass. Thumbs up, huge smile. She was a Downs Syndrome child. The smile on her face was heartwarming.
I continued to scan the faces of the people I don't know. There was a real old nun beside me, nodding in agreement at the words of the Gospel.
A man of about twenty-to twenty five was seated beside his Mom and Dad, and it entered my mind that he should cherish the moment. He had a Droid phone in his hand, checking something out that seemed to be more important than what was going on at the altar.
And I was silent through it all. My mind whirling through tasks for the week ahead, the prayers entering in snippets, the choir voices hammering it all home,and the girl with the thumbs up.
As the congregation gathered for communion a single thought hit me.
We had skipped a huge chunk of the Mass.
What happened to Holy, Holy?
Did we do 'Christ has Died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again?'
Was I that close to heading back home?
I know a lot of people who crave silence in their lives and don't share in the community of the church. I certainly don't preach to anyone, and learned that guilt is a shaky way to steer the ship, but I enjoyed myself this evening.
The silence seemed to do me some good.
I give it a hearty thumbs up.
But of course, the priest, during his sermon, had to mention that we all had more time on our hands now that 'the Yankees didn't live up to expectations.'
I had to laugh.
Yet my mind was in serious wander mode. I thought of all the people gathered on a Saturday night, attending church for a variety of reasons - some people perhaps craving the silence, some praying for huge things, some dreading every second of it because they had something else to do.
I was there for peace and comfort, so it was easy to enjoy it all.
The man in the choir had a heavenly voice, never messing up even a single note. About halfway through mass, a girl of about 17 turned around to give the guy a thumbs up. Then, she did it every thirty seconds for the rest of the mass. Thumbs up, huge smile. She was a Downs Syndrome child. The smile on her face was heartwarming.
I continued to scan the faces of the people I don't know. There was a real old nun beside me, nodding in agreement at the words of the Gospel.
A man of about twenty-to twenty five was seated beside his Mom and Dad, and it entered my mind that he should cherish the moment. He had a Droid phone in his hand, checking something out that seemed to be more important than what was going on at the altar.
And I was silent through it all. My mind whirling through tasks for the week ahead, the prayers entering in snippets, the choir voices hammering it all home,and the girl with the thumbs up.
As the congregation gathered for communion a single thought hit me.
We had skipped a huge chunk of the Mass.
What happened to Holy, Holy?
Did we do 'Christ has Died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again?'
Was I that close to heading back home?
I know a lot of people who crave silence in their lives and don't share in the community of the church. I certainly don't preach to anyone, and learned that guilt is a shaky way to steer the ship, but I enjoyed myself this evening.
The silence seemed to do me some good.
I give it a hearty thumbs up.
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