What follows is first in what is intended to be a new Monday feature here on Adam's Ale. People always ask what priests do. But it seems that every day is different and it is hard to say, "This is what it is like." So on Mondays I thought to pick one thing that happened the past week and report on it, trying heed St. Escriva's words, "And how many chances to learn from the Master you have wasted by not knowning how to supernaturalize them?"It was perhaps stupid on our part even to be out in the storm that was brewing. If the warnings from the weatherman had not been enough we should possibly have trusted the signs of ice, wind, and cold telli
ng us to stay inside and read, but Fr. B and I had our hearts and stomachs set on going out on our day away from the parish to visit with yet another priest friend who was home from studies for a couple days. So out into valley of death we went.We reached his that house that sat right off the beautiful (but ice covered) shores of Lake Erie in safety though with a good amount of sliding (and my propensity of always get lost.) It was enjoyable watching the Lake seethe and foam at having to be out in the cold. But that quickly ended as all the windows of the house became covered with ice. One of our brave party (not me) went to open the back door just to have a look see (actually thinking he might grill out on the deck) when the wind caught the door and yanked him outside. Because the wind was so strong and the deck was covered in ice he couldn’t get any traction to make it back into the house and so Fr. B had to brace himself in the doorway, reach out and pull him in.
We didn’t grill out.
On a side porch, the priests that own this otherwise cozy cabin have established a chapel and we decided to have mass before imbibing in an evening repast. The chapel is a most wonderful place to have mass in the summer but in the winter, not so much. The windows were completely iced over and the Lake continuously and with intent pelted the chapel with a slushy deluge. When our main celebrant intoned the introit the holy words he spoke became visible in the form of frozen breath and carried our prayers up to God like incense.
As we moved through the readings and consecration the storm outside grew fiercer, our hands becoming quite cold by the time we held our Savior ready to consume Him. Yet it was as though we held warm coals, close to center of life at this altar.
For a few moments we sat in silence. Well, that is we were silent, but outside the elements cried out. Fr. B later said it was as though Daniel 3 (57-58) were coming alive, “All you winds bless the Lord. Cold and chill, bless the Lord. Frost and chill bless the Lord. Ice and snow bless the Lord. Praise and exalt Him above all forever!”
How odd it was to be there. How isolated we felt in that tiny, cold chapel: a pinpoint of hope in a wasteland it seemed. But then again not. If here, in a most unlikely of places on such dodgy and lonely street on that most ferocious of nights there was a mass offered up for the redemption of the world, how many more unlikely places might the fires of true worship be offered up? How many more spots are there loyal sons and daughters of God conversing with their Maker? It reminds me of this picture from my catechism concerning how the mass is being prayed around the world at all times.
At night (in the summer anyway) I am prone to walk about the neighborhood saying my rosary and taking in the blue glow of televisions in the majority of houses that I pass and perhaps with a bit of conceit think as I progress through the mysteries, “How many of you think of the birth of Christ tonight, or of His Passion, or of His Resurrection?” But I know now that I should not be so quick to judge. I am still stunned at the reports of how many of you pray the Liturgy of the Hours. The circle of prayer and sacrifice is constantly being offered up by the Church for the glory of God and for the benefit of mankind. It is such a beautiful thing.
Is it cool to be a member of His Church or what?
19 comments:
I love that graphic - tried to blow it up and read it, it is a little grainy for my tired eyes!
I think of the fact that Masses are being offered throughout the world daily. It was one of the nice things about living near a Protestant church that had hourly bells... In grade school one of the two Ursulines who taught me would always stop class to pray a Hail Mary when church bells or ambulance sirens could be heard, and would remind us that there is a Mass being offered somewhere in the world...
I kept that with me.
I wrote an entry at our group blog just the other day about having Mass available during the weekdays and even in some locations on lunch hours... That really sort of mystified one of my Southern Baptist co-workers... "Y'all have church at lunch?" Sure do!
As I type this they are finishing up the 8am at Holy Spirit down the street... Father serves it at 7:30 at our parish... 9am Mass is in 20 minutes at St. Dominic's, 11am at Saint Partick's, and 12:05 and 5:15 at Saint Joseph's. Rumor has it there is a 7pm Mass around here somewhere too.
We won't know till we are in Heaven (God please grant it!) what sort of magnificent Grace this has rained down upon the city at all hours....
Outstanding idea for a Monday feature. I bet there will be surprizes for everyone. It's weird to think of what a revealing, realtime window we get into each other's lives through these blogs that no other generation has ever had. It's powerful.
This is a good idea for a Monday.
Your comment about strolling around on a summer evening struck me; it's the perfect time to take a walk in the summer, and I often do the same thing...but with my dog, and without praying the rosary!
But on these walks, I have often seen Father from my parish walking on the opposite side of the street, reading / praying Liturgy of the Hours, completely absorbed. (I have no idea how he does that...I'd run into something.)
Anyway, back to grilling...hmmm....grilling on a frozen deck while being buffeted by spray from the waves and icy winds...sounds like a challenge to me!
"Anyway, back to grilling...hmmm....grilling on a frozen deck while being buffeted by spray from the waves and icy winds...sounds like a challenge to me! "
What you have to understand about virile, God-fearing Ohioans is that we grill year round. If need be - we pull the grill into the garage and open the door.
We can't be bothered to wait half a year for a tastey steak or burger! What do you take us for, a race of aesthetics on par with the Dessert Fathers?
Just Saturday while laboring to remove a foot of snow that drifted in all the wrong places, I was teased by a neighbor cooking (with charcoal no less!) on a spot on his deck that had been cleared for just that purpose...
When an Ohioan must have grilled food, grilled food an Ohioan shall have!
a simple sinner ~ Yup! We feel the same way here in MN. That's why I called it a "challenge"! :-)
We in MN (and WI, too) are well known for the practice of "tailgating" all winter long. The beer stays colder in the snowdrifts, the lighter fluid keeps the coals hotter (none of that pansy gas-grill stuff for REAL grill chefs!), and it's always more fun if the elements are not cooperative with our plans.
Last summer, in fact, it started raining on my steak. So I got my umbrella and got wet...while my food finished cooking. My neighbor came home and threatened to take a photo...but she didn't want to get her camera wet. LOL! My umbrella STILL smells like hikory-smoked charcoal.
Fr. V. ~ From today's Magnificat from morning prayer:
Hymn:
"Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!
Beneath the shadow of they throne
Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure"
I thought it quite timely given your reference to Mass in the cold chapel in the middle of such a storm.
Well, here I am about to throw buckets of ice on the charcoal, wood, gas grills no doubt, but I have often thought of what solace it is to those hidden who are imprisoned (and tormented) for their faith, like the disappeared clergy in China and in the mideast and elsewhere. They know, at least, that whenever they pray, they are praying with the whole Church, and they know that when their minds cannot form words, the Church is praying for them.. with groans, with Holy Mass, with the Office, with the Rosary. They will carry that knowing right to the final cell, too. Indeed, it is cool to be a member of His Church. God love you.
Weather's quite fine here. I am wearing shorts and no shoes, basking in the sunlight.
What a day, what a day....it is indeed an amazing thing to be let into our fellow blogger's worlds.
This post is a perfect example of the feeling of community my favorite Catholic blogs provide for me (and for many others, I am sure). THANK YOU for letting us spend part of your day with you through this post.
God bless you.
I know that the next time I get the grill going I will be offering up a prayer for you, your fellow brave priests and all those who grill despite the weather. :-)
so rob you didn't get the chance to get a good workout with snow removal, opportunities to grow close to God praying while you drive, and upped your exposure to dangerous skin damaging UV?
Poor fella.
For the record, it is 60 here.
Here I go again, commenting. I just wanted to note that sometimes when I see something on someone else's blog, I am inspired. And sometimes it might be something I can't seem to post, so it'll sit there...until someone else triggers me to post my story, too.
And that happened just last night, although I took it down again...and put it up again. And I think now I'm "over it" so it will stay, thanks to other wonderful Catholic writers. It sometimes helps to get that "glimpse" into someone else's world and find that none of us are so different and what haunts one person, haunts us all, and what is joyful for others is joyful for us all.
OK, I'm done filling up the combox now...must go study!
.. dude. nice post. very poetic. actually HUMAN . [ actually . your pretty cool]:)
but anyway.. SO much better than all that hell fire and damnation garbage i grew up with. but then you say IS it COOL TO BE A MEMBER of HIS church or what ??
well
I SAY! weeeeeeellllllllllll
NOT really. at least for a LOT of peeps that grew up under the suppressive regime of Catholicism ./ from my recollection the majority of church’s are cold dark oppressive dictatorial .. overpowering with a false sense of humility, designed to impress and venture in to the sub consciousnsess of the “ spiritually oppressed ” which most people have no concept precept or notion of as they supposedly buy their way into heavens gate.
but that's not the issue.
the post was cool
was 80 degrees here. compared where your at. . tulips already bloomed out . trees flowered out . parrots overhead. so your having SNOW. from that great church shot[ it is REALLY good].
its that gods way of saying “ hell is freezing over??
hope your well . wish you well. !!!!!!!!:)
honest . I REALLY do.
[ my sarcastic post was in humour:)
I was reading Daniel Sunday morning in morning prayer as I was snow bound cause our street wasn't plowed. Helped me be a little less frustrated!! Sure did fit the day!!
MJ
GUYS!!
SATVICWARRIOR HAS STOPPED BACK!
GUY! HELLO AGAIN!
ANNNNNND -
Don't you guys feel for Rob? Maybe we should all pitch in and buy him a pair of shoes.
SVW, it's truly good to see you again. I hope all is well with you.
Fr. V., I'll put the "Rob's Shoes" envelope in the collection basket this weekend.
Adoro, we are indeed all more alike than not. I honestly think the Internet was the Holy Spirit's idea. It has been hijacked by lusts here and there, but overall, it is just incredibly wonderful to be able to speak with fellow God-lovers all over the world. All over the world!
Sattvic ~ Hi! Good to see you again.
Fr. V. ~ When I get my tax refund in, maybe I can contribute toward Rob's shoes, too.
JustMe ~ I agree. It is so incredible to have friends literally EVERYWHERE. And real friends, too. Remember "pen pals"? And all those stories about how pen pals would write for years, and finally meet? In fact, I have a professor who had just such a pen pal, whom he had emailed about something the other had written in a journal. They kept up their correspondance for about 10 years, maybe longer. Well, the other man died, and his wife wrote to the professor, because the man had desired the prof have a particular gift, a particular volume of books.
They had NEVER actually met in person, but I would argue they were better friends than many people who are friends and see each other regularly.
As with anything, we all do need to be discerning, but with the world of Catholicism, it's so much easier to see our universality. It's incredible to me that I could, say, announce that I'm coming to Cleveland...where to go to Mass? And not only would I know where to go for Mass, but there's a good chance someone I've corresponded with would meet me there so I wouldn't even have to sit alone. Um...being that you're the Ohio crowd....yes?
I could say the same thing about Dallas, TX, British Columbia (can't remember the name of the town in BC), Canada, Sydney Australia, Atlanta, GA, etc.
It really is a gift to be Catholic!
:-)
(Disclaimer: Still be careful who you plan to meet! Even if people seem "devout" it could still be a scam! All the safety rules still apply!)
Buy me sandals!
uhhhhhhhh. ADORO ,.
REALTY CHECK HERE!!!!!!!
' if you check one of your posts from WAYYYYYYYYYY back.[ on my site] you put me ONE notch BELOW the DEVIL.[ of which i know NOTHING or EVER WILL about ]
and you say your GLAD to see me back??
hahahahaha . your SUCH a TRUE christian . . hahahahahahahahaaha.
[ by the way. JESUS ate JELLY BEANS.]. its in the bible.
"MANA" was JELLY BEANS from heaven [ its the spiritual soup du jour for this season].
later dudes. and dudeines . . [ female for DUDES]
to the author of this blog
DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!! you DA MAN !!!!
adoro . i gotta go PUKE now. are ya happy???
hahahahahaha'
Peace to you, too Sattvic.
Post a Comment