7-1-23: Preacher in thespian mode. Good, if overdone. Hard to do well.
7-2-23: Fellow worshiper chats people up after mass. Proof of when church after mass is not a church but a social hall.
7-3-23: Preacher offers paralysis by analysis. How dry is he.
8-1-23: Chat sermon: “Have you noticed that . . . ” Twice. “I don’t see how . . . but . . . ” His version of “Right? . . . Right? . . . ” A sort of “Between you and me” approach. Over the back fence.
9-10-23: Sunday mass, two sisters chat throughout, mother ignores it. Preacher goes 12 minutes, delivering the good news. Girls continue, but at Sanctus they quiet down. Demonstrates power of liturgical sign, in this case bells, when all kneel and quiet descends. (Except when priest speaks out, time and again, sometimes loudly, mistakenly thinking he’s the legitimate focus!)
9-28-23: The day the book fell. Spilled out when I the reader, walking away after reading the pre-gospel passage, left it on the missal. On to the floor it went, scattering the many small sheets bearing names of the dead to be announced and prayed for! No dull moments when Jim’s the reader!
Bright spot: Fr. R. from Venezuela, celebrant at the altar, drops to hands and knees to help me gather them up! From that moment, he’s my favorite priest at the parish. (My next time as reader, the whole book had been cleaned and neatened up.)
10-5-23: On this day, I the reader and bells-ringer managed the reading and petitioning but let mind wander and missed my bells at Sanctus. But ever onward and upward, bit by bit to my ultimate goal — change it all to LATIN!!
— JUST KIDDING!!
Same day, to La Colombe, where at counter forgot name of my fave coffee, which usually was posted but on this day was nefariously missing. And young lady at counter refused to read my mind! I hate it when people do that!
As for what I was reading over coffee that day, later, OK?
Dominus Vobiscum: Notes from a massgoer's underground 