Today is Sunday. And for me Sunday means church. It has always meant this, as I was raised in the Catholic church since I was a baby. I love it. I love that it was the first church and that it is based on tradition and scripture and I love what we believe, but a lot I love that Catholic, the word, literally means universal. I love that no matter where I went to a mass today, I would hear the same readings and the main parts of mass would be the same and I would sing at the same part and hold hands and kneel at the same part. There's just something so comforting about it. Knowing that I am celebrating mass the exact same way so many people have for soo soo many years.
I was sad that Fr. Dave left, but I am liking Fr. Dennis more and more. It seems that more I listen. In his homily he talked about the movie Contact and the character is asked "Do you love your father?" When she says yes she is told to prove it. In the end, she finds that the greatest things in life can not be proved: love, beauty, joy, etc. You just have to have faith and believe and trust that it is there. This is the same way it is with God. Fr. Dennis also talked about keeping a sense of wonder, even as we grow older. We are so used to taking everything apart and knowing exactly how every little detail works, and our world is full of technology and reason. But it is good to find things that keep us wondering and things that can not be explained or proven-but that just are and things that make us have faith. The chapel song "faith faith faith just a little bit of faith. You don't need a whole lot. Just give what you got. faith faith faith just a little bit of faith" ran through my head a lot.
At mass a couple also celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and it was so presh. The way they looked at each other. The man's advice was to find woman that keeps your sense of wonder and the woman's advice was make sure there is a sense of humor- I have the sense and he has the humor! Everyone laughed and smiled at this witness of true love. I love how everyone is serious during mass, but at this and when Fr. says something funny during the announcements we all can laugh together. We really are like a community and it is lovely.
For dinner the entire family went to my grandparents house. We had roast and potatoes and salad and sliced carrots and apples. It was so good to share a meal together and talk. We talked about our upcoming trip and about camping trips they took when my mom was young and about the dogs we've had and about grace. We discussed and debated and analyzed grace. Overall, we decided we receive God's grace when we are born. We can chose to accept it, and use it. Or we can ignore it. But it is always there. And we do not earn it, or receive more by doing good things. I believe we use, and need grace when dealing with troublesome times and when helping people. Grace seems to make things flow and go okay. It is just the essence in which someone deals with things- and it is another thing that can not be proven. It just is. Then my grandma was being real funny although she wasn't meaning to. She asked if we'd ever been to my cousins house I said ya-for Amy's graduation from high school. My grandma told us that was at least 15 years ago. We were all confused-but apparently she had misheard me and though I said Amy's preschool graduation. My grandma also proudly told us how she pledged 24 chickens today and how during communion Fr. Dennis told her to keep smiling. We tried to tell her he said that when she shook his hand before leaving church after mass was over, but she insisted he said so during communion. Even my grandparents laughed and laughed during that dinner. It was such a lovely time spent together.
In between, the rest of the day, was spent avoiding packing, doing laundry, making and finishing a care package for Sarah Wright, baking cookies, dancing, playing soccer with Maggie, going to the grocery, jumping on the trampoline, laying in the grass, wishing there was more sunshine, thinking about Max being baptised and wanting to be there, and holding Louie in his tank as Michael drove to my dad's house.
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