Wednesday, October 7, 2015

TO EACH HIS OWN

My parent's song was, "To Each His Own."  I remember that had it on a 78 (yes, I am that old) and I accidentally sat on it as a kid.  For their 50th anniversary some 17 years ago, my sister Mick redeemed me by finding them a replacement 78 that I still play on my grandparents victrola in my room.


"To Each His Own."  Aint it the truth?  Try to take a ratty, dirty, torn "bank" from a toddler and exchange it for a newer, softer, cleaner blanket and you will be met with howls.  What we want is not always logical, but it is what we want.

For liturgies at St. Sebastian I spend an incredible amount of time trying to do everything correctly and well.  And, I will admit, I also find the challenge fun - particularly so when you have a younger priest with you who is also similarly interested.  So when a new directive came from "downtown" about how Communion was to be taken to the homebound, Fr. Pfeiffer and I had a long discussion (over a card game) about what exactly the new options were, which might be most feasible here, and how we would enact them - arguing (in the most friendly sense of the term) and cross referencing ideas from other books and documents.  (That makes for a long card game.)


All this goes to say that I am confident that when someone comes to the parish, they are receiving the Roman Rite, it is being done well and with some gravitas for the glory of God and the benefit of my brothers and sisters.

Once again I am taught that I will not win anyone to God, it is always the Holy Spirit.

So this morning I was walking Sebastian and ran into some fellow walkers and we let the dogs play around a bit as is their want.  One of the walkers said, "I have the best news ever," about which I did not get too excited.  I've been told this a lot.  It usually isn't the best news ever.  But she surprised me.

"I went to Mass at (St. Anonymous) and I loved it!"

Okay, that was the best news ever.  Having been away from the Church for a long time, she found a parish that she loved.

"And the best thing was, it was completely disorganized and laid back.  Kids were running all over the place, they messed up one of the songs, the readings were done terribly and I loved it.  I am going back every week!"

*sigh*

And now my walker friend is taking about "My Pope" and how great he is.

Good thing there is a Saint S. and a Saint A.

To each his own.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dysfunctional people are attracted to chaos. That doesn't mean we should encourage the chaos. Keep doing what you are doing, Fr. V. A proper and well-done liturgy is next to godliness.