Roamin' on a Sunday Night. Destination: St. Patrick's Church
HIS VIEW:
Another break from routine in this week’s episode of Roamin’
Catholics. We didn’t attend mass on Saturday evening. We didn’t
attend Mass on Sunday morning. We attended mass on Sunday evening!
It has been a long time since we did this and it turned out to be another
epiphany moment. Let’s begin by explaining why we waited until 7 on
Sunday evening to continue our weekly spiritual journey. You may have
heard that we switched our clocks AHEAD one hour yesterday morning. If you
hadn’t heard, then you were probably late for something yesterday…This day in the
calendar, more than the corresponding one in the fall, always throws me
off. The day seems to fly by so fast and it is so exhausting. It
kinda feels like you lose two or three hours, not just one! On Saturday night,
we had some people over our house and we were both up late. The adjusted
time that we finally got to bed was two A.M. so you can see why we weren’t
exactly popping out of bed ready to greet the world. We both slept in and
spent the day recovering from the previous night and straightening the house a bit.
As the day went on, there was no discussion of mass and whether or not we would
go. At one point I said to Mary that if we weren’t going we should at
least say a rosary. After some comment regarding me not being responsible
for my loving bride's spiritual health, meant with the greatest affection, I was
given options for late afternoon/early evening masses in Montgomery
County. We decided on seven P.M. at St Patrick’s in Rockville.
I know we are a week early on St Patrick’s day and we should
have coordinated better on when we went to St Patrick’s church, but I reiterate
that we are where we need to be when we are meant to be there. That
translated to St Patrick’s church on Norbeck Road in Rockville, Md for the
seven P.M. mass on Sunday, March 11.
Given that many suburban churches sprang up in the middle
part of the 20th century as metropolitan areas grew and families
moved from the cities out to roomier digs in the “country”, it is not
surprising that a church completed in 1968 would have that mid-century modern
feel depicted in dramas like “Mad Men.” St Patrick’s is no
exception. This church felt almost like a tiny chapel as compared to
cavernous St Casmir’s from last week. Again, city church vs. suburban
church. 1920’s era construction versus 1960s era construction. Like
so many churches of this vintage, the sanctuary was in the shape of a “T” or a
cross if you will. Very simple in its design. A review of vintage
photos on the parish’s website reveal a few changes to the original interior
from 1968. It was interesting to compare the dedication photos from 1968
to the 50th jubilee photos of 2016 (parish was created in
1966.) In reading the Parish’s history it was interesting to see another
hometown connection. The family responsible for donating property to the
Washington Archdiocese responsible in part for the placement of the parish, was
very active in helping the elderly and their housing and has a street and an
elderly housing development named in their honor in Hartford, CT. Small world.
God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that
everyone who believes in him might have eternal life. If we just take a
moment to reflect on those powerful words and think about what they truly mean,
it is overpowering. The light of the risen Lord is an inspiration.
In this week’s gospel (John, chapter 3) there are numerous references to the
light. The wicked hate the light and whoever lives the truth comes to the
light. Some metaphors for what is happening in our world today.
This reading seems also somewhat apt given that we just got an hour of
additional daylight at the end of the day.
This week marks another milestone in our journey through
Lent. The celebrant and deacon wore rose vestments today.
Traditionally worn on the 3rd Sunday of Advent as well as the 4th
Sunday of Lent. This is said to be intended as encouragement. We
are now halfway through our Lenten fasting and we are encouraged to stick with
it through to Easter. This week is also referred to as Laetare Sunday.
HER VIEW:
This week the journey of my soul is written from my heart
and not my head. I have come to look at our Roamin’ Catholic adventures as a
journey of two different kinds: my solo journey in my relationship with God and
our spiritual journey together as a couple. Sometimes these journeys are on a
firm concrete road. Other times, potholes and other obstacles make the journey
difficult and trying.
And speaking of obstacles, to be perfectly honest, I had no
intention of going to mass yesterday. Quite simply put, I was having a bad day. I
was down on myself and I didn’t feel like leaving the house. At 4:30, Lou said,
if we don’t go to mass we have to say a rosary. Even this proclamation felt
like a pothole in the road. I told him that he was not in charge of my soul. A
few moments later, I KNEW I had to find a mass. I was akin to an alcoholic who
needed to find an AA meeting. 5:00 and
6:00 weren’t going to work… you see, I was still in my pjs. Yes, it was THAT
kind of day. Springing forward had left me with no spring in my step. Fortunately,
there was a 7:00 pm mass at St. Patrick’s Church in Rockville, MD – yes, even
with the day I was having, I could ready myself in time.
As a sidenote, St. Patrick’s Church in Erie, PA was the
parish I was born into and the church where I received all of my Sacraments and
attended mass for almost 22 years. I also find it interesting in hindsight,
that I chose this church less than a week away from St. Patrick’s Day.
So back to St. Patrick’s Church. I told Lou on the way to
mass that I was really in need of a moment like the one he had last week… The
homily that spoke to him, the mass that made him say Wow!, the fork in the road. I didn’t just want a
moment like that, I NEEDED a moment like that.
Now this is the part that is difficult for me. This is my
real moment. I wasn’t just having a bad day. There have been a series of bad
days… you see, I’ve been struggling. With what, I am not exactly sure. On the
outside, I manage to put a smile on my face, crack jokes and maybe even manage
to look like I’ve got things figured out. On the inside, well, that is a
different story. I know we all go through something like this at one or more moments in our lives. If you haven't, you are very fortunate.
The Deacon gave a homily that had tears pooling in my eyes.
I was afraid to blink for fear that I would become a waterfall. He began his
homily speaking about the new movie, The Black Panther. When he began, I
thought, oh, there goes my hope of getting the homily I need tonight. Well,
after the movie intro, he began to speak of an actress in the movie, Letitia
Wright, who left acting for a period of time because she was suffering from
depression and needed to step away from her career to deal with it. She
struggled, but when she eventually found her light at the end of the tunnel,
she began to bravely share her story with others. She brought her suffering out
into the light. Her journey out of depression led her to a relationship with
God and a better understanding of herself. He tied Leticia Wright’s story into
the fourth Sunday of Lent, also known as Laetare Sunday.
Laetare Sunday marks the halfway journey of Lent (although
the true halfway point is the Thursday before, but we’ll allow the church some
slack), which is a time for rejoicing as we draw closer to Easter Sunday. This
is also the Sunday in which the priest (and deacon, in this case) wear rose
colored vestments instead of the usually purple ones to remind the Church of
encouragement to make it through the rest of the Lenten season and to the light
at the end of the tunnel.
He likened the encouragement of Laetare Sunday as the
promise of Easter Sunday. He also likened Letitia Wright’s journey out of
depression as a form of “letting the light shine in” and as “drawing back the
curtains” to see the light. Isn’t that symbolic of Lent and Easter? I think
Lent is a dark time in the Catholic Church. Jesus is tempted in the desert by
Satan. We fast, we abstain, we give things up to allow us to become better
people. We go to confession to lighten our load. Easter is the opposite of
darkness. It is a joyous time in the Catholic Church. It is Jesus’
resurrection. It is light.
I was mesmerized by this homily. I felt that God had
answered my prayers and spoke to me. I have had the feeling that I have been
living in the dark lately. I have more questions than answers. I have more
doubt than certainty. It’s through this journey, this muddy road, this darkness,
this opening up and getting real, exposing my real self with all its flaws and
fears that is going to allow me to draw back the curtains and let the light
in. To all the doubters out there, I
again believe that God intervened at this mass and that we were meant to be
there. I asked for a sign and I received that sign. There is no doubt in my
mind.
After mass I shook the Deacon’s hand and said, “Two thumbs
up for that homily. Thank you. I really needed to hear that right now.” He replied,
“We all do.”
The rest… the look of the church, the feeling, the music,
the readings, they all took a backseat to this homily. My soul was full.
As always, we conclude with our Soulfie:
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