Wednesday, September 08, 2004
The Mass of the Holy Spirit.
As my loyal readers will know, I participated in the Mass of the Holy Spirit at St. John's (on Creighton University's campus). Being an ex-Protestant minister, it was a unique and wonderful chance to see a new world of religious worship. And to be honest, it was a beautiful event... probably one of the top five religious experiences I have had in my life. The message was "A Faith That Does Justice" and it was centered on interfaith, interracial, and interdisciplinary unity. A fantastic theme, and a well orchestrated event. If you are ever in Omaha, you should try to attend a Mass at St. John's. It is a place that really puts Christ into context.
There is so much I could talk about; the symbolism, the audience, the message, and even the priests themselves. But I could never do it justice. I will mention, however, that I went into a great coughing fit (I am getting over a virus) right during the Homily (sermon), and I was very embarrassed.
Actually embarrassed isn't the word for it. Mortified. I was sitting right up front, sort of between the stage and the front row of "normal" pews. So all eyes could easily focus on me. And I know I was easily heard, because the acoustics in that place are amazing. I was so disappointed that I was ruining a fantastic service, and I was ashamed to distract from what was a great message. I almost broke into tears I was so upset. I pondered leaving, but I knew that it would draw even more attention to me, and away from the message. Some how, I got it under control, tears streaming down my face and all. So if you attended the mass and you are reading this, I am sooooooo sorry.
I was so shaken up, in fact, that as soon as the Mass was over, I ran away. I sought out a solitary place to be for a little while. I also sought out comfort food. Which means I ended up at JC's Deli, where I had a hot dog with mustard, a root beer, and a long sigh.
So that was Mass. Oh, and I would be upset if I didn't mention another great failure of mine. We were told we should wear red, as it is the liturgical color representing the Holy Spirit. I wondered for a week "why red?" It wasn't until I saw them carry the giant flame to the altar (representing the tongue of fire that danced about on the day of Pentecost) that it dawned on me. How stupid of me! :) Some ex-minister!
To close, I would like to welcome those of you who have started visiting my site recently, and are all but strangers to myself. It is a wonderful and interesting phenomena to see where and who actually read my innermost (and jumbled) thoughts. Thank you for your feedback, emails, encouragement, and referral's (hint, hint).
I would like to personally welcome Asraa. Your email encouraged me to fall a little more in love with my blogging, and I hope I never let you all get bored. Asraa's letter reminded me that not all of my views are pity views from my friends, and I need to write things that are both honest and interesting.
I will turn on the comments feature, so all of you take note... you will be able to make remarks on my blogs right on the site itself. But beware, all can read them.
See ya!
There is so much I could talk about; the symbolism, the audience, the message, and even the priests themselves. But I could never do it justice. I will mention, however, that I went into a great coughing fit (I am getting over a virus) right during the Homily (sermon), and I was very embarrassed.
Actually embarrassed isn't the word for it. Mortified. I was sitting right up front, sort of between the stage and the front row of "normal" pews. So all eyes could easily focus on me. And I know I was easily heard, because the acoustics in that place are amazing. I was so disappointed that I was ruining a fantastic service, and I was ashamed to distract from what was a great message. I almost broke into tears I was so upset. I pondered leaving, but I knew that it would draw even more attention to me, and away from the message. Some how, I got it under control, tears streaming down my face and all. So if you attended the mass and you are reading this, I am sooooooo sorry.
I was so shaken up, in fact, that as soon as the Mass was over, I ran away. I sought out a solitary place to be for a little while. I also sought out comfort food. Which means I ended up at JC's Deli, where I had a hot dog with mustard, a root beer, and a long sigh.
So that was Mass. Oh, and I would be upset if I didn't mention another great failure of mine. We were told we should wear red, as it is the liturgical color representing the Holy Spirit. I wondered for a week "why red?" It wasn't until I saw them carry the giant flame to the altar (representing the tongue of fire that danced about on the day of Pentecost) that it dawned on me. How stupid of me! :) Some ex-minister!
To close, I would like to welcome those of you who have started visiting my site recently, and are all but strangers to myself. It is a wonderful and interesting phenomena to see where and who actually read my innermost (and jumbled) thoughts. Thank you for your feedback, emails, encouragement, and referral's (hint, hint).
I would like to personally welcome Asraa. Your email encouraged me to fall a little more in love with my blogging, and I hope I never let you all get bored. Asraa's letter reminded me that not all of my views are pity views from my friends, and I need to write things that are both honest and interesting.
I will turn on the comments feature, so all of you take note... you will be able to make remarks on my blogs right on the site itself. But beware, all can read them.
See ya!
Comments:
See how easy it is to comment. Just type like this "Carl, you are an arogant and whiny ass..." No wait. This is my fantasy, so try typping this... "Oh Carl, your site moved me to leave my husband and run into your arms." Or, "Oh Carl, you are right, I will pull the troops out of Iraq and bow gracefully out of the election to let McCain run." Or, you can just say "What's up. I read it today. Keep plugging away slugger!" : )
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