It’s almost Holy Week. Have you been to confession?
As Karen E. says, Confess the Mess.
And I say this all as someone who has no real love of Confession. It’s hard, it’s icky, it’s humiliating.
But oh, how we need it.
Things that are good for us are usually things we don’t like or want.
And to help, here are Fr. Z’s tips for making a good confession.
When Planned Parenthood is thanking nuns, you know you’ve got a problem.
Passiontide is the time before Holy Week–a time to rev up our penance, prayer, etc.
Here’s Fr. Z’s reflections. As usual, it’s perfect.
Not to be confused with the liberal nuns or the Catholic Health Association. (and here’s what some bishops are saying about them.)
THIS is the USCCB press release.
And here is a release from habit wearing nuns. (You know, the ones that have waiting lists to join…)
Do not be deceived her, folks.
So, if you were to think, “Gee, I bet a parish called St. Patrick does some awesome stuff for St. Patrick’s Day,” you’d be so correct.
Tonight we had Mass, the litany of the Irish Saints, a processing with drums and pipes corps, and and Irish tea (with beer, natch), food and music.
It was a great night.
The Mass was beautiful–a delicious reprieve from the austerity of Lent. There were four celebrants–the three Friars of St. Pat’s (our pastor, Fr. La Casse, was the main celebrant), plus a Byzantine Catholic priest! I had never seen Byzantine Catholics before. There were two of them–one chanted (yes, chanted) the Gospel and helped concelebrate. The other–was he a friar? Not sure. They wore tall black hats and beautiful golden vestments. It sort of resembled a cope over a cassock (both gold). (And I’m sure I’m getting all this wrong, but it’s my first time seeing them and I know nothing about the Byzantine liturgy. Zilch.)
The choir did a glorious Kyrie and Communion hymn (Exultate), and sang the Litany nicely. One of the St. Pat’s priests gave the homily, and he focused on Christian Unity–the need to “breathe with both lungs”, as JPII said–and how, no matter where we come from, we are all Catholic, Irish or not. We are one at the Eucharistic Table. (It was a really great homily.)
There were tons of altar servers, incense, and the gold procession crucifix, carried by an older altar server who wore white gloves. For the processional, four of the older altar boys carried the large statue of St. Patrick around the outside of the church. (About two blocks). Good thing they didn’t drop him! The music (pipes and drums) were provided by the Shamrock Club of Columbus. My mom was really into that; she was a bagpiper in high school.
After the torchlight procession (it’s a beautiful night here, perfect weather), we went into Patrick Hall for the tea party. Irish music was playing from a live band, which made me think of both the third class dance scene from Titanic and the book Angela’s Ashes, all in one. I had some soda bread (yum!) and some Harp lager (of course, I am Irish.) The hall was packed, and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Some people brought Irish hats and almost everyone wore green.
The Mass tonight also provided a plenary indulgence. We had to go to Mass today at St. Pat’s, go to confession either before or after the Mass (mom and I went last week), and pray for the intentions of the Pope.
A side note: St. Pat’s has a monopoly on the Cute Kid Market. There are so many of them. There was a family near us tonight that had six boys (I think) and they were so cute! It’s like a Cutest Baby Contest every week in there.
This was the first St. Patrick’s day I felt I properly celebrated–it was so much fun, so nice to sing hymns and the Gloria and party during Lent. There were flowers on the altar, the gold vestments were out, and we had an opening hymn. (As opposed to our usual chant opener during Lent/Advent).
And now I’m eating Guinness Cake.
Gosh, I Love being Irish. 
I received a new book.
No! No! I did not cheat.
It’s from the Duck’s Cottage Book Club. (My love of Duck’s Cottage, from my first visit to the Outer Banks in August 2008, is very strong). Every other month, Jamie, the cottage’s book buyer, sends us a new selection she’s chosen for us. It can be anything–last year’s selections ranged from Lost on Planet China to a Swedish novel recently translated into English.
In my mailbox today was the March/April selection, Cutting For Stone, by Abraham Verghese.
I opened the bubble wrap envelope carefully and savored the new book. I read the letter Jamie included, telling us a bit about it and why it was her choice for her. I gently paged through the reviews. I might have smelled the pages.
This is what happens when you haven’t had a new book in 21 days. You really, really enjoy new ones.
I think that was also part of my Lenten abstinence–to realize what I have, and how pleasurable it is. God made everything good, Genesis tells us. I love reading. Books, and reading, are not inherently evil. But loving them above all else? That’s a problem.
We’re halfway through Lent, and I haven’t really had the desire to go book shopping (although it has crossed my mind a few times). But today I realized how much I love a new book.
A few things, for our second Lenten Friday. First, a poem:
Lenten Illuminations
By Siegfried Sassoon
Not properly Catholic, some might say, to like it best
When no one’s in the cool white church than a few frequent
These sober-skied vocational afternoons in Len.
There’s sanctity in stillness, let is be confessed,
For one addicted much to meditationment–
One who has found this church a place full of replies
Given to what, wordless in him, asked that hearts be learned
A Kempis lessons; toward the invisible, new eyes
In more than mediational consciousness be turned.
This afternoon it seemed unconvert self came in,
Puzzled to perceive one at the altar rails, unminding;
Could this be he–hereafter offered to him to win,
And faith revealed wheretoward he pilgrim’d without finding?
O unforeknowing Ego, visitant in thought,
How were you thus the captive of that banished being?
Was it ordained–the long delayed deliverance brought–
The mercy that made it plain your path?… O unforeseeing
Sad self, let’s be together, now fortunate in freeing.
* A blog friend of mine is having another baby! Will you please pray for her, the baby, and her family during this wonderful time? Thanks much.
*How goes the Lenten book abstinence? It goes. This week was hard–the new Jodi Picoult book came out, and usually I head to the bookstore and devour the book before the sun is down the day it’s released. This year it will be in my Easter basket, so I’ll get it as soon as I can get it, post-Lent. I find that I’m not as drawn to the stores as usual, and a big part of my book buying was when I was feeling down, or wanted a treat, or whatever. I bought books because books make me happy. And they do make me happy, but now I can’t spirit away a lunch hour looking for some new balm. I have to make do with what I have, or (preferrably) go to Church and find True Consolation.
I’m also making a (small) dent in my books-to-read pile, and re-reading some books that I haven’t read in a few years. I want to clean out my library and it’s good to re-read and see it a certain book is still worth keeping. Right now I’m almost halfway through Master and Margarita, which I bought in early February. It’s really good and I want to finish it this weekend. It’s not the sort of book you can dip in and out of at will.
