SPRING IS BUSTING OUT ALL OVER

On my couple days away from the parish I happened to be walking along a great body of water and hearing a couple talking as I passed them. The woman was speaking to the gentleman, “Mother said that those old Communion Cups and St. X were just terrible. Men would come up with bushy mustaches and . . .” That is all I heard. To listen any more would be to need to go to confession.

It made me chuckle however and reflect on how much direct Catholicism I had encountered in the past couple of days. It made me think of Las Vegas (of all things) where you knew if you scratched the surface there was nothing but dessert underneath. Though society seems completely secular, scratch hard enough and you find faith.

Yesterday dinner was had at a restaurant that had tables out-of-doors next the sidewalk. As we ate a young man walked by holding hands with a young lady. After passing I noticed that he was wearing a brown scapular. It must have inched its way up out of his collar and was riding high on his neck. If it would have been convenient I would have commended him.

Have you ever seen the movie Seabiscuit? I highly recommend it (save for a minor spot of nudity and cursing.) It is a very pro-life movie in many respects. In a hospital scene one of the lead characters was praying the rosary. (I get far too excited about these things. It was nice to know just the same that the horse was a Catholic.)

This morning reading the newspaper there was a picture about a trial taking place in Peru. In the background on one of the tables – quite blurry but of no doubt – was a table crucifix! “Hey look!” I exclaimed to my breakfast mates, “Is that a crucifix in the courtroom?” Lucky Peruvians.

None of these were advertised for others to see. They were “caught” as it were – snatches of people’s lives. Sometimes these speak louder than grand monuments.