Baptism for Karla

Karla has achieved that next and arguably most important milestone in her life. She was baptised last night.

We had a Saturday night baptism because our priest looks after 2 parishes and after 8:30 mass at Sacred Heart he has to hurry over to St. Benedict for 10:00 mass. So either we schedule for after Saturday night mass or Sunday afternoon. We could also have opted for during church but that still creates logistical problems for Father.

Aren't the kids paying close attention :-)

By the way, 'tis the season for sacraments, Lent starts next week. What are you giving up this year? If you haven't been for a while time to brush up on those sins. There is a big push to get more people to confession this year!

Good Friday

The focus today is attending Good Friday Services at church. The kids have Friday off and Monday of next week allowing for an extended holy week. Today at church is much longer than usual in addition to being much more quiet with no processional music, no greeting or blessing. Last night the focus was the last supper with the washing of the feet. Today we read the passion, this year it is from John, followed by the veneration of the cross. The congregation always takes the part of the crowd. (The priest is Jesus, lectors take the part of a voice and narrator.) I always find it disturbing that we are the ones to vilify Him. "Crucify Him!"

Would you have had the courage to defy the crowd? Looking back you always believe that you would have behaved differently. But not even Peter stood next to him by denying him even as Jesus foretold. It is difficult to remember that we are not supposed to be sad. Today is the best day of our lives. Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins. We should be joyous.

Take this bread, Drink this Wine

Last night John and I attended a first communion meeting. Personally I expected it to be a quick meeting to get organized for Megan's upcoming first communion. And it was a little bit. But Father Ed has decided that the parents are in need of training to so we spent one and a half hours going through the meaning behind mass and basically received a pretty extensive primer. I have to admit that I found it very informative. Something that has been spending the last 2000 years evolving is never simple and quite a lot of it is symbolistic in ways that you would never imagine by just attending church. It never ceases to amaze me that the more I learn of Catholicism the more aware I become of the vast number of events, people and differing opinions which has created what we now see as the church today.