Church
It has been a while.
It has been so long since I have been to church that I can't even give a date, or recall if the last time was a wedding or just a regular Sunday. What I do know, is that I haven't attended church since BEFORE Calder was born. . . until today.
I have been wanting to attend mass for months, but finally got organized today. The fact that Calder is getting baptized in 2 weeks was HUGE motivation, but I also hope, that a bit of motivation came from within, because it was just time.
There are many things I love about attending mass. I love walking in and standing with my family and checking out people we know. I love the singing and being able to sing along without being judged. I love getting on my knees and praying when I arrive and after communion. I enjoy knowing all the responses, because for some reason knowing them gives me a sense of belonging. I love listening to the sermon and trying to relate it to my life and figuring out how I can use the lesson to better myself. I think the best part, though, is how I feel when I leave. It just feels good to go.
Today was the first time I have attended church in Martensville. Hugh and Calder came with me and I was amazed at the number of young families, more than I have seen at any other parish. The feel of the building was different as well. It is a newer building and rather than having pews, the church has chairs. This meant there was no place to kneel and it made me miss going to mass at home. I still prayed when we walked in and after communion, but for some reason, it didn't feel quite as good.
Mass today was one of the longest masses I have ever been to. It was 1 hour 25 minutes. In my experience, mass is usually right around the 1 hour mark on Sundays, and it can be shorter on weekdays, and longer on special occasions like Christmas and Easter. Calder did great for the first 40 minutes and not so good for the last 45. Hugh and I had to take turns with him out in the entrance. I know with practice he will get better at staying still for longer times, but as I looked around, I wondered why the priest was "dragging out" what started out as a great sermon. He lost me (I really was trying) and as I looked around, I surmised that I wasn't the only one who had drifted to another place. He was preaching, but not necessarily to a specific audience. I felt that if he was preaching to us, he would take the noise level, stirring, and number of parents in the lobby with their little ones, as a hint to move on.
Now, I wonder, how long will Easter Mass be in 2 weeks when Calder gets baptized. Yes, you read right. The biggest mass of the year AND the baptism of a hand full of little ones.
Although, the last part of this post is a bit on the negative side and the length of mass is not ideal for our family, it felt pretty good to be back.
It has been so long since I have been to church that I can't even give a date, or recall if the last time was a wedding or just a regular Sunday. What I do know, is that I haven't attended church since BEFORE Calder was born. . . until today.
I have been wanting to attend mass for months, but finally got organized today. The fact that Calder is getting baptized in 2 weeks was HUGE motivation, but I also hope, that a bit of motivation came from within, because it was just time.
There are many things I love about attending mass. I love walking in and standing with my family and checking out people we know. I love the singing and being able to sing along without being judged. I love getting on my knees and praying when I arrive and after communion. I enjoy knowing all the responses, because for some reason knowing them gives me a sense of belonging. I love listening to the sermon and trying to relate it to my life and figuring out how I can use the lesson to better myself. I think the best part, though, is how I feel when I leave. It just feels good to go.
Today was the first time I have attended church in Martensville. Hugh and Calder came with me and I was amazed at the number of young families, more than I have seen at any other parish. The feel of the building was different as well. It is a newer building and rather than having pews, the church has chairs. This meant there was no place to kneel and it made me miss going to mass at home. I still prayed when we walked in and after communion, but for some reason, it didn't feel quite as good.
Mass today was one of the longest masses I have ever been to. It was 1 hour 25 minutes. In my experience, mass is usually right around the 1 hour mark on Sundays, and it can be shorter on weekdays, and longer on special occasions like Christmas and Easter. Calder did great for the first 40 minutes and not so good for the last 45. Hugh and I had to take turns with him out in the entrance. I know with practice he will get better at staying still for longer times, but as I looked around, I wondered why the priest was "dragging out" what started out as a great sermon. He lost me (I really was trying) and as I looked around, I surmised that I wasn't the only one who had drifted to another place. He was preaching, but not necessarily to a specific audience. I felt that if he was preaching to us, he would take the noise level, stirring, and number of parents in the lobby with their little ones, as a hint to move on.
Now, I wonder, how long will Easter Mass be in 2 weeks when Calder gets baptized. Yes, you read right. The biggest mass of the year AND the baptism of a hand full of little ones.
Although, the last part of this post is a bit on the negative side and the length of mass is not ideal for our family, it felt pretty good to be back.
I judge your singing in church, and also hate it when church goes into OT.
ReplyDeleteI was looking at the wrong blog post. It was here all along!
ReplyDelete