On the Mass and Sweet Communion...

It was mostly empty when I walked in. And, truth to say, it was mostly empty (as far as people go) when I walked out. But it was full of other things, despite the empty air. It was full of peace and love.

"Welcome! Welcome!" She was almost yelling at me. Dorothy was obviously late in her years of life, and her hearing was slowly slipping. But she was the first to greet me so enthusiastically in a long time at church. It was a Wednesday morning, and I had decided to walk down to the small Episcopal church down the street for Wednesday morning Mass.

"Welcome! Welcome!"

And the Mass began. There were nine of us there, including the pastor. But church happened. It was all spoken, but our hearts sang. It was mostly quiet, but the room was filled with the sound of rushing air, the Spirit of God hovering over those baptismal waters.

A bold word was spoken by the elderly priest. "One day this congregation is going to wake up!" he said. "One day we will be the missionaries that God intends of us, to have others know that God loves them. They can hear that here. They will hear that here!" he prophesied. And I believe him. The people believed him, and took it upon their brow, their arms, their hands...they held that Word, the law and gospel rightly intermixed. They prayed it and played with it.

And we ate. A small round of bread. A small dunk of wine. A small sacrifice for a small congregation. But a large sacrifice for the large Church universal.

And we ate again, afterward. The other members there shuffled me and my friend into the fellowship hall. The table there was set. Real china coffee mugs. Piping hot coffee cake laid out on the table. They handed me the knife, invited me to dive in and divide the cake for everyone assembled. And I took the honor and did so, knowing that it was a mark of hospitality to invite the guest to carve the main course.

And the fellowship made a continuous movement, from the sanctuary to the hall. The conversation continued from the Mass to the small breakfast, and the Spirit followed right along with us. Or was it leading us?

I suspect it was leading us.

See you in church,
VT...