Our Holy Cross Feast Day Celebration

Yesterday was Grandparents Day at the Roman Catholic school that two of my grandchildren attend. We began with a mass in the church to celebrate the feast day. The new pastor is originally from Ireland, and he still speaks with his Irish brogue. His enthusiasm captured the attention of the children and the adults. He advised us grandparents to sit before we fell down and told the children to remain standing. Then he told them to turn to each grandparent to tell them, "I love you." Then, he told them to remind us that we could not talk in church, an inversion which made everyone laugh.

The children's choir performed and led the singing nicely, and I thought we were on our way to passing a good time.

Instead of reading from the Gospel of John, he recited a simplified paraphrase from memory, and then on to the sermon. He began by talking about peace, and then proceeded to speak in support of Bush and his bellicose actions and words. He said that the US was the only country willing to expend lives and money to keep the world safe from terrorists - to keep a cordon of safety against them. What nonsense! A cordon?

I looked at Grandpère and rolled my eyes. I believe that he feared what I might do. The priest finally moved away from the "Bush keeping us safe" meme, but I was so thrown off balance, that I could not tell you what he said after that.

After the offering was taken, he departed from the liturgy to lead us in the "Hail Mary". I like the "Hail Mary" and I still say it from time to time, as a carryover from my RC days, but I thought this kind of departure from the liturgy was frowned upon by the RCC.

When I attend a RC mass, I'm generally torn about receiving the Eucharist, since I am officially not welcome at the table, being a heretic and an apostate in their eyes. I have no doubt that the Lord Jesus welcomes me, and many RC priests whom I know welcome me, but I had decided that I would, as a general rule, refrain. However, when I thought about my grandchildren asking why I didn't go, and having to explain that their church did not welcome me, I decided I would break my rule this once. Let them retain their innocence for a while longer.

What right does the RCC have to ration the Eucharist? What right do they have to exclude followers of Jesus from the Lord's own table? The priest says, "Take and eat," and, "Drink this cup," but he doesn't mean it for everyone. That's not right.

Our grandchildren showed us around their school with great pride, and we enjoyed the visit. The school has been loving and supportive to the children through the divorce of their parents, and I will be forever grateful to them for that.

My grandson had made a picture of Grandpère and me. In the picture, I am much larger than GP. In reality, that is not true, but that's how he sees us. I am seated in front of my computer in the drawing. We all got a laugh out of that, since GP thinks I spend far too much time in precisely that place. We couldn't figure out what GP was doing in the picture. There's some kind of tower-like structure that he seems to be reaching up. We'll have to ask GS next time we see him.

Thanks be to God for the little ones.