Sunday May 31, 2009

Another LONG Sunday. Mass at 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, and 6:30PM (and, just like last week, I either served or sang at each one, minus the 6:30PM), but with the added bonus of having to direct church patrons for a wedding followed by a choir concert in the afternoon. I recall almost falling asleep numerous times throughout the day (especially during the concert; I feel slightly ashamed about this, as the music was, in all honesty, breathtakingly beautiful. It's just a shame that my "breath taking" was manifest both audibly and visibly in my frequent yawning!). This is strange, considering that I didn't get enormous amounts of physical exercise, but I am certainly very tired tonight, more so than I have been in awhile.

But enough bellyaching! I'm a Christian. I preach Christ crucified. That means no whining on my part!

Anyway, I guess seeing as today is Pentecost Sunday, I can't be surprised that I had such a plethora of work to do. Even when I thought I had a couple of minutes of time off in the afternoon, something kept dragging me back to work; chalk one up to the Holy Spirit on that one. "Inspiring" is a word for it, I guess, though the modern connotation of that particular word does miss the point, IMO. By "inspiration," I don't mean some kind of mind control, nor do I mean the cozy warm fuzzies we get when we get a good idea and chalking it up as divine "inspiration". The Inspiration I'm talking about comes at really odd times, ESPECIALLY inconvenient times. It pushes one to abandon what seemed like a good idea at the time for something that, though unquestionably good from an objective point of view, still requires us to give up something we think we'd rather have. Today, "inspiration" came from surfing the internet briefly to discover the News Headline regarding the murder of abortionist George Tiller. As a very pro-life individual, I deplore his murder and the murders he committed; what was initially a foray into some good ol' R&R turned into a rosary for the repose of his soul a the 6:30 mass that evening. THAT, I think, is genuine Inspiration: the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in us, compelling us to bear fruit for God's glory. In this case, it was a spiritual act of mercy; maybe tomorrow, it will be something else. Either way, this Pentecost will not be soon forgotten. I am a daily rosary devotee, but it's rare that I pray it as "well" as I did today. May God have mercy on us and protect us all! Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your Faithful. AMEN!