Normally I go to the 6pm Sunday Mass. I started to go to it because I needed one day in the week when I had the opportunity to oversleep. The 6pm Sunday Mass is the quietest (no hymns) and most prayerful. And then I got roped in to helping set up and clearing away (and doing the preparations for Monday morning Mass)... I say "roped in," but don't get me wrong, I'm a willing conscript: I get to find out about all the beautiful vestments and sacred vessels and stuff (Fr Tim has very good taste), and there is a slight sense that by helping to prepare things, I am imitating one of my heroes, St Anne Line.But, being Christmas Eve, today we don't have a 6pm Mass. So to fulfil my Sunday obligation I have to choose between the 9am and the 10:30am. I didn't know whether I'd wake up in time for the earlier Mass, but it would seem my Guardian Angel is on overtime...
9am is the "children's" Mass, and it has the advantage of finishing by 9:50am, leaving me plenty of time to get sorted for Christmas (and I've got loads of housework to do.) The 10:30am is "High" Mass (and I won't be home before midday), but it has the choir and incense... and Father sings the Asperges...
Actually, now I've thought about it, I'm experiencing incense cravings...
In my fouth year at university I lived in the Catholic chaplaincy which was formerly the presbytery for the church next door. As befitting my literary aspirations, my room was the garret. Every Sunday I would walk downstairs past the door that led into the sacristy. This door had a long split down it - thin, but enough for incense smoke from the morning's first Mass to come through. It was an exceedingly pleasant way to wake up in the morning!
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get that thurible image?>??!!!
ReplyDeleteGoogle Images
ReplyDelete:-)