Saturday, at Easter Vigil, my son Lucas was received into and confirmed in the Catholic Church. Our family flew to New York on Friday and attended the Vigil mass and other festivities. What a huge blessing!
Friday afternoon, Lucas and I went to the Good Friday mass. Saturday morning, we shopped for the party Lucas' friends Kate and John graciously planned for Lucas and two friends who all joined the church Saturday. We went to dinner and then to the Vigil mass at 8:00.
Oh my. Where to begin to describe the mass? Candlelight. Incense. Ethereal singing. Long, chanted readings from the Old Testament. When the final Old Testament reading was finished, the church bells rang out joyously. The lights came on and the coverings were removed from the icons around the church. Oh my. The expressed joy moved my body, heart and soul. Then the baptisms, receptions, confirmations. Finally, the Eucharistic mass. Lucas received his first communion.
The service lasted nearly three hours. (Several of Lucas' Protestant friends remarked about it!) Afterwards, I was so humbled by the many parishioners who congratulated Lucas and us. New Yorkers are so gracious and kind.
On to the party. Thirty or forty of us crowded in a shotgun-style, third-floor walkup apartment. We had the most interesting conversations. One of Lucas' professors and his RCIA instructor were there. Both are brilliant, published authors. Did I mention how humbled I was?
Sunday morning we went to breakfast and then to 11:00 mass. The church was packed and late arrivals stood throughout the mass.
Our family's first experience of the Sacraments. Wow.
3 comments:
Wow!
Easter Blessings.
Congratulations to Luke.
I have been to Good Friday Service. It is not for the faint of heart....or weakly disciplined.
Welcome! I'm so glad to hear of your story, and thoughtful and reflective journey. While I am a "cradle Catholic", I (like most of us) was not adequately catechized. When I began to homeschool my kids, 12 years ago, I wanted to teach them the "real truth" and was challenged to learn the "whys" behind all of the Catholic traditions and teachings. Scott and Kimberly Hahn's book, Rome Sweet Home, was very helpful to me at that time. Here was someone who did all of the hard studies that I didn't have the time or ability to do. Converts like them have been my best Catholic teachers. :)
In Christ,
Lucy
www.mysticalrosedesign.com
Oh, Donna. How well you know me: the weakly disciplined. ;) The service included the long litany of prayers and we were instructed to kneel for each one, then quickly to stand. Weakly disciplined, indeed. We had originally considered staying for the Stations of the Cross which began at 5:00. When the Good Friday liturgy ended at 4:40, however, neither Lucas or I had the discipline to stay.
Lucy, Thank you so much for commenting. Rome Sweet Home was one of the first books we read about Catholicism. It was given to us by a Catholic friend and was certainly pivotal. I've read it twice and read several other books by Scott Hahn. I am looking forward to perusing your boutique and blog.
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