I spent yesterday with friends and families as they dropped in on me for visits. It worked out great.
I started the day off with Mass.
Our parish is blessed with a wonderful music program, led by Tim Keyes. He works extremely hard to provide us with music that adds to the liturgical experience and celebration. I really enjoy listening and singing at Mass. To me, it's always been a way to pray and to be joyful about the great gift of our faith.
Since I can't hold a song book or turn pages, by the time we get to the third and fourth verses, I'm usually humming along waiting for the chorus. However, one nice thing with Christmas is that I've usually memorized the hymns we sing! (I know, I could ask for help , but I get tired of that. I always fantasize that the words could be put on the wall with bouncing balls - you remember sing-a-longs?)
The Mass was not only joyous, but affirming of our parish's commitment to a sense of community. I was greeted by the Eucharistic ministers on the way into Mass - a literal line of smiles, holiday greetings and welcomings. Our clergy, both our deacon and pastor, were busily greeting everyone - even though this was the last Mass in a series of two days of umpteen Masses. The enthuasiasm was contagious.
The rest of my day was nice - don't get me wrong. But the celebration of Mass was the highlight.
I hope you'll share about your Christmas experience here too.
4 comments:
I love your description of your parish - and I can visualize it, having been there during the Christmas season one year.
My father's visit to the monastery was the high point for me. He's a non-believer, and I've been pretty actively involved with parish or (the last decade or so) monastery since I joined the Church 30+ years ago. So we haven't been together on Christmas for decades.
He attended our prayerful vigil Mass (even though I was too sick to go: one of the other sisters accompanied him) and our celebratory Mass on Christmas morning, reveled in the multitude of lights and decorations, enjoyed the spirit of joy and friendship, seemed happy as he flew off this morning. His e-mail report of a safe landing also said that this was "as close to worship as he was capable."
Praised be Jesus Christ!
How wonderful that he was able to experience that!
I'm Baptist, Ruth, so our Sunday morning service wouldn't have been anything like yours. But I, too, received a lot spiritually from going to church on Christmas Eve morning. I'm glad I got to go.
I've been to enough Masses to know that a Christmas Eve one would have been especially awe inspiring. I'd love to have been there with you.
Wouldn't that be awesome to go to church together? You just never know..so glad you had a great Christmas service too.
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