Sunday, June 14, 2009

Another busy Sunday! I sadly woke up VERY late for the 8:00AM Mass; fortunately, servers and cantors were in no short supply, so my absence wasn't TOO conspicuous, even with the Eucharistic Procession at the end of Mass (it is the Solemnity of Corpus, after all!) The servers all did a fantastic job - including the man who had to do an emergency substitution for yours truly at the 6:30PM Mass. I had to make a quick "Communion call" to the Senior Center again. A deeply devout woman named Mary Anne hadn't received the Blessed Sacrament in quite some time and was very, very eager to finally receive Him again. She chewed my ear off for a good 90 minutes; it's not that I mind the time I spent (this woman has had 5 surgeries. That alone means that she's got some interesting stories to tell!); on the contrary, she really is probably the closest I've ever met to what many Catholics would call a "suffering soul" - someone who is, in effect, doing their time in purgatory here on earth she actually has a second-class relic that promises EXACTLY that to whoever owns it; don't take this "superstitious Catholic" stuff lightly, folks!). Between the various surgeries, constant pain, difficulty walking and using the bathroom, living with a severely mentally-handicapped daughter in need of constant care - all of the pieces are there. Yet she is HAPPY! She offers every ounce of this pain and suffering for the greater glory of God, and it shows! I felt absolutely privileged to be able to bring the Body of Christ to her on the Solemn Feast that celebrates precisely that!

Deacon Phil Bertolani wins the "best homily" award for this weekend; Fr. Steve takes second place with his excellent delivery during the 6:30PM mass, but Deacon Phil covered all the bases. Emphasizing the importance of the Real Presence and not shying away from the church as "bride of Christ" imagery makes for truly excellent homiletics. The fact that Deacon Phil lent me his "101 Questions & Answers on Deacons" book was just a bonus! :)

Lunch was pretty good today, as well - Luciano and Fr. O'Boyle took me ought to a local restaurant for a brunch buffet following the noon Mass; we stuck around till about 3:00 PM, and I got a nice little Holy our before napping at 4:00PM - I was actually very nearly late for my aforementioned Communion visit; having to track down the tabernacle keys didn't help things!

After the 6:30 mass came the real deal of the day, though - a party for Fr. Steve for his last 6:30 Mass, courtesy of the Ravenswood Catholic Young Adults Group! Pizza, pop, and cake. YUM! Having Sue, a blind parishioner, for dining company, was even better. I managed to advertise my gaming blog to a fellow parishioner, as well - here's hoping the game enthusiast finds something worthwhile!

And here's praying that God finds my conduct of this past Sunday worthwhile. May I do everything for His greater glory. Body of Christ, be my sustenance. AMEN!