advent and parish hopping ~

I don't know why, but it struck me funny to be hearing the story of the Annunciation so late in the Advent season. Still, the message it imparts: for all of us to take up the challenge as Mary did to "bring Christ into the world" is really an important one on the eve of the big day. Okay, we weren't immaculately conceived and God isn't asking us to bear a child or anything nearly so immense as that, but what God does ask of us is just as important. Christ is present with us through one another and this Christmas so many people who don't have Christ in their lives in any shape or form need to see the manifest love of God in the world today. And we can be that for them.

I was going to go to Saint Agnes today, but missed the 8:30 mass in the morning (scraping out the car is always more work than I lease room for ~ gotta get on top of that). The next mass was at 10 and in Latin and for some reason I just didn't feel like going to the Latin mass this morning (who knows). So instead, I went to Our Lady of Guadalupe down the street ~ a very modern, very community-oriented church. The service was nice enough and the music was beautiful and the priest was a good speaker (though started off on what I thought was a pretty bad joke and then rambled off topic into some political I-don't-know-what). But it's definitely not the place for me. I try not to be a snob about these things and I'm willing to bet most of the people there are far better Christians and far more devoted than I, but I really have a hard time attending a church where the minimum amount of reverence for the Eucharist in the tabernacle is not displayed.

I still have a few more parishes I can visit. I am thinking of making an effort to go to weekday mass at Saint Agnes perhaps. Although it's pink, I think I can deal with that far better than I can deal with people chatting it up around the altar like they're at Wyatts with their cafeteria trays trying to pick between the carrot slaw and the green jello.

There's also a Saint Mary's here fairly close by. I might try that one as well ~ it's an older church off to the side. Maybe after being at the cathedral for all these years, a less-well-known church would be the ticket (Saint Agnes is pretty famous, I guess, for Father Altier being there).

Anyway, I'm rambling on here about nothing in particular. I didn't think parish-shopping was going to be this difficult. But hopefully I'll find a home soon.

: D

oh the memes, they scream ~

kiped from sistermeg when i ought to be doing more useful things ~ hahaha ~

( more than you want to know about me )