Ready to Celebrate

 Mass is a religious ceremony filled with scriptural references.  As we have prepared ourselves to participate in the celebration of the Mass by understanding what goes on, praying, and having the correct disposition, we stand to sing the entrance hymn and respond to the Mass celebrant's greeting and prayers.

The entrance hymn expresses the unity of the people with their variety of voices joining together in communion to make the one voice of the church.  St. Augustine says singing is praying twice--so pray as best as you can.  God gave you your voice so let Him hear it!

When the procession reaches the altar, the Mass celebrant will greet the congregation.  We then collectively ask God to forgive our failings.  The priest will bless us:

May almighty God have mercy on us

forgive us our sins,

and bring us to everlasting life.

Amen.

(My "cloistered brothers" bless themselves after this prayer because they consider this a minor exorcism.)  Me too!!

Next, we praise God by singing the Gloria.  

Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace to men of good will. We praise You. We bless You. We adore you. We glorify You. We give You thanks for Your great glory. O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father almighty. O Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son. O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father: you Who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. You Who take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. You Who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are holy. You alone are the Lord. You alone, O Jesus Christ, are most high. Together with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Picture Jesus, or yourself hosting dinner.  You come in, greet and praise God and your guests.  This is exactly what we've done.

Let's sit now and listen to what God has to say.

Spiritual Direction

 A friend gave me three little books to read by David Torkington: The Hermit, The Prophet, The Mystic.  They are all about "prayer."  

The Hermit is about a priest searching for a better prayer life.  He meets a hermit, Peter Calvay, who helps him.  I'm sure Peter's advice is excellent but sunk in secular muck as I am, I'm more interested in the people, Peter and the priest James Robertson.  

They are all small books--teasers really to bait you to read the next in the series.  And I took the bait, and the hook, and the sinker .  I loved all three.

In The Hermit, Peter gives James a prescription to follow: A Blue-Print For Prayer.

Introduction

     Presence
     Adoration                                                                          We
     Thanksgiving                                                                     Speak
     Examination--for Past                                                       To
     Repentance--for Past                                                          God

Middle

     Learning                                                                            God
     To                                                                                       Speaks
     Listen                                                                                  To Us

End

     Needs                                                                                We
     Others                                                                                Speak
     Self                                                                                     To
     Thanksgiving                                                                      God
     Examination--for Future
     Resolutions--for Future

The next book is The Prophet, where our hero, Peter is rarely a participant.   We read some biographical notes that Peter wrote.  The priest, James was given them to understand where Peter came from, and what made him the religious guru he was.  I learned about secular Franciscans, Saint Francis, and even an encounter to Saint Padre Pio.  I learned that prayer doesn't change situations or people, only the prayer's own heart.  

The last book is The Mystic where Father James thinks he is losing his faith, only to become a mystic. I found Father's charismatic prayer group experiences familiar.  And Peter's explanations about love in married life, experienced by his parents, similar to the spiritual journey of prayer.  People are interested, fall in love, get busy with life, fall in love again and reach deep contentment for life.  The life of prayer mimics these steps.

Again I apologize for not being interested in the prayer advice.  I was too interested in the author's well-drawn characterization.  I know I missed the point, but I enjoyed the books regardless.

First Timer

 Danger, Fear!!!!!!!!!!!!
Strip down, put on prison grey.

Down the corridor.  Clank of the iron door.  Turn right.
Given 6 National Geographic Magazines,
the inmate says to put them in my waistband.
?????????????????????????????????

Mind going every which way.
Eyes can't be still either.
Heart pounding....MAN UP!

Walk in the room.
Do I hear laughing?
New fish.
New bitch.
Where you from?
How much time you got?

Prey and predator circle me.
Shank appears---I feel pressure.
The point has pierced a Nat Geo.

           An Old Pair of Shoes

Did you ever come to the parting point
With an old pair of shoes, that are outworn--   

Beyond fixing?  How you hate to part
With them, they fit so well,
As though they were made on your feet.
You can wiggle your toes in them,
For there is plenty of room.
Your feet have molded them with wear
To the right shape.
That little bump bulging on the side
Its the place that nestled your pet corn.
The thought of new shoes gives you the shivers
That corn--Oh! What new shoes will do to it!
And what that corn will do to me!!
"Ah Heck! These old shoes are good enough
                                    for another week."
by Henry Boulanger
in Cliff Dwellers and
other Poems

Unpacking the Planet of Antiquity

"The Planet of Antiquity" is the last chapter in the memoir, Unpacking the Boxes, by Donald Hall.  The author, Donald Hall, was our Poet Laureate from 2006-2007.  When Donald's mother died and her material goods disposed of, he was sent boxes of her treasures, which were Donald's memorabilia.  This book is the memory of what her boxes triggered.

Donald has had a long and interesting life.  Being a poet, he has crafted the story of his life in an appealing story.  His favored and only son status was not wasted.  He matured into a responsible, well-adjusted, and contributing member of society.  He was blessed.  But it is his last chapter, "The Planet of Antiquity", that I enjoyed the most.  I roared with laughter.  This chapter could stand alone as a short story.

Donald begins this chapter by comparing his ability to move, in his eighties, to his abilities as a child.  He's slower, unsteady, and has fallen, more than a couple of times.  But as he says, "You live in the moment."  Something we're told to do, anyway.

It's living in the moment outlook, that keeps him going.  If he, or anyone in their eighties, looked ahead, they'd probably become depressed.  So each moment becomes an adventure.  This became apparent when Donald was arrested for drunken driving.  (Remember, you are innocent until proven guilty.)

Donald was not drunk.  He had had one glass of wine.  Driving home on a dark country road in New Hampshire where no one presumably was around, Donald exceeded the speed limit.  He was pulled over.  He put the car in neutral and as he rummaged around for his license and registration, the car rolled back.  The cop honked.  Donald managed to stop the car before it hit the cruiser.

The cop asked Donald to step out of the car.  Now Donald is a handicapped, elderly gentleman, who walks with a cane, and naturally has difficulty getting out of a car.  But he managed to eventually extricate himself out of his vehicle.

Standing face to face, the cop could smell alcohol.  I'm not surprised because I can smell alcohol on people's breath, after receiving communion wine--and that's just a sip!  Have you been drinking an alcoholic beverage, sir?  Donald told the unsmiling and severe visaged cop, just one glass of wine at dinner. With disinterested compassion, the cop asked Donald to walk the line.

Now, while I was reading this adventure in Donald's moment in time, I was freaking out.  "OH NO!" Donald is elderly and probably can't walk steadily under normal, calm conditions, never mind when he's nervous and under stress.  But Donald was looking at the situation as an adventure.  He was living in the moment and relishing that moment.  He jokes with the cop and tries to initiate a friendly conversation.  But interest and compassion aren't promoted attributes among traffic officers, I guess.

Donald couldn't stand on one leg.  Donald couldn't walk the straight line.  Donald couldn't touch his nose with his eyes closed.  Donald didn't pass any of the sobriety tests.  In fact, Donald appreciated the humor in the situation.  He wasn't drunk, just old.  It was surreal in its ridiculousness.

This sense of absurdity was self-preserving, self-protective.

Donald was asked if he'd take the breathalyzer test. Donald was thinking that he didn't want to waste any more time.  He was tired; he wasn't drunk; enough was enough!  So he answered, "No. I want to go home."  But this was interpreted as "No."   That's "no" period!

So Donald Hall was arrested.  He was handcuffed behind his back, which made it extremely uncomfortable riding in the metal back seat of a cruiser, with little space.  Of course, that's when everything itches, you have to go to the bathroom, and everything is crampy.  A little panic set in.  What will people say?  Will this hit the news?  What will my family do?  What happened to my own car left on the road?  How much will this cost?  What if I don't pass the breathalyzer; it could malfunction?  Do I need my diabetes medicine?  I'm thirsty?

Transported to the police station, Donald wasn't even allowed a glass of water, although he was permitted to urinate, under watchful supervision.  All he could do was sit in silence since conversation wasn't encouraged.

Finally, the breathalyzer was ready.  Donald scored zero.  He took the test again.  Zero again!  Alleluia!  Donald shook hands with the cop and the cop tore up all the arrest forms; Donald didn't even get the speeding ticket he deserved.  God is too good!  Although, some purgatorial time surely was paid especially since Donald had to pay for having his car towed away.

The arresting cop gave Donald a ride home.  As Donald was getting out of the cruiser's seat belt, he asked the cop, "Come on in and have a beer."

Perhaps we should all drink to "living in the moment."