Some Catching Up
I know I know, it has been a couple of weeks, and a lot of stuff has been going on. Unfortunately one of those things has been missing Mass, though only once. Also, I have had more discussions about my new faith with my husband, though after some more of the "The Pope and the Catholic Church are the Anti-Christ" comments, I got the hint and just stopped talking about it. He wanted me to get rid of my rosary and my medals, and I didn't answer. He wanted me to stop reading anything Catholic, and again I didn't answer. He asked me why I was reading all of the Church's "hogwash", and I ..... did not give him a straight answer. I know, cowardly, but I just could not get up the guts to say anything. On the other hand, for the first time ever in a situation when something I am intensely involved in has been put down or falsely attacked by my husband, I did not get defensive, and yet I did not back down and give up my own beliefs just to pacify my husband and his ego. I know that was the Holy Spirit; no one else could have held my emotions in check so well and yet given me a bit more backbone, with gentleness, than I have had in delicate issues involving my husband in the past.
Also in interesting news, I attended the dedication of my parish's new building, and it was a very beautiful Mass. We bagan outside the sanctuary the doors still locked, and following a procession of the Knights from the area, our priests, some monks from the local abbey, and of course our local Bishop, Cardinal Roger Mahoney and his entourage, the doors were unlocked and slowly the crowd made its way inside. I say slowly because there were at least 1500 people at the Mass filing through the door about 3 or 4 at a time. First pleasant impression of the new sanctuary was the warm water in the font, followed by a bit of jealousy that the two men in my RCIA class who are getting baptized will have a warm dip! :) Oh well. There were supposed to be seats for 1400. but by the time that I got in, there were few seats, if any left. I ended up in one of the side rooms that will be for families with young children. A decent seat, but I did not get sprinkled with the holy water, and the insence smell did not reach me until the consecration. The baptismal font was blessed, then its water sprinkled on the people and the walls of the building. The Readings and homily were as usual with a bit more ceremony than usual, and an extra alleluia after the Gospel reading. Also the readings were each in different languages, or a combination of languages, to accomodate all othe parishoners. The first reading was in Spanish, the Psalm in a combination of Spanish and English, the Second Reading in Tagalog, and the Gospel in English. After this the alter was annointed in oil, then the building was annointed. THe Preists took oil and annointed the four major pillars of the building. THen the alter was incensed and the whole sanctuary with it, as young girls in festive dresses took bowls of incense and walked up the aisles of the church and made the sign of the cros with the bowls every few steps. Then the alter was wiped clean of the oil the remained, then it was dressed with white clothes edged in gold. A candle was lit, and blessed, then the slter candles were brought forward and lit, and the priests took candles and lit the various small candles around the room. The prayer of dedication was next dedicating the building to God's work, and then then began the Liturgy of the Euchrist, at which point I left.
Yesterday was also the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. For any of you Portestants out there, this is not a feast celebrating Christ's conception, as the timing should indicate. That is what I thought, until a few months ago, when I realized that the Immaculate Conception is that of Mary, who the Church teaches was concieved without sin, in order to be a fitting vessel for the Lord. This is still a doctrine I struggle with a bit, though I have to admit that the more I struggle with it that more I realize that it seems right. Why would God have His Son draw his human flesh from a person tainted with sin?
At any rate, it is late, and I just wanted to ctch you all up on the highlights of my absence. I hope to blog more regularly from now on...hope being the key word here. ;)
Till we meet again, may God bless and keep you all.
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