2009-05-22
A Cathedral and A Comedy of Errors
In my attempts to make smalls steps in my life towards Catholicism I decided to start my search for a church. I think I have settled on trying out the Cathedral of Christ the King.
Since things in my life are pretty tough right now, I find myself praying a lot. I’m praying for specific situations, financial, future, career, sisters and their moves, family, and more than anything my “Person” (referred to here on as P). This step in changing my denomination is part (or fully) due to P and his familial history.
Right now I am in the middle of the book “Eat Love Pray” by Elizabeth Gilbert. In the book Liz is really searching for God. Although I am not really searching at all (I’m pretty sure I know who He is, where He is and how He is a part of my life), I thought praying in a church might be nice – a lighting a candle in prayer might even be nicer.
I did a little research to make sure I (a non confirmed person) could light a candle in prayer (we are not allowed to take communion – which might mean I am going to hell since I took communion at St. Patrick’s in NYC before I moved). I in fact can. So I e-mail the Cathedral of Christ the King to see when the sanctuary would be open and if I could come by to light a candle. I got an e-mail back letting me know that the sanctuary is open until about 7 each night, unless there is a program going on.
So I drive to midtown and figure out the massive campus. Once in the sanctuary I hear the organist (pipe) in the balcony beginning a little warm up of his fingers – YES I get to pray to beautiful music – and then he immediately starts Pomp and Circumstance – DUUUUM, DUM, DUM, DUM, DAAAAA, DUM – nice. I try to concentrate – I try to pray while the organist practices for the following night’s baccalaureate. It’s hard. A few moments later a woman joins the organist and begins to discuss the baccalaureate and then obviously a wedding – seeing that the music changed to Here Comes the Bride, and Jesus Joy of Man’s Desiring. . .
I focus, I focus, I plug my ears, I pray, I rabbit trail to listening to the music, looking at that statue of the young kid giving a peace sign (what is that??) and ever time I bring myself back to center, I focus on P and every time I think of P - DUUUUM, DUM, DUM, DUM, DAAAAA, DUM – Pomp and Circumstance plays again. I laugh as it happens the first time – and then I pray on other things and my mind wanders (how can I get it to stay? Maybe not praying in such an active place?) as my mind wanders I bring it back to center by praying specifically for P and our situation and as soon as I do - DUUUUM, DUM, DUM, DUM, DAAAAA, DUM – Pomp and Circumstance plays again. This happens at least 2 more times and I can not help but laugh.
Soon the organist is playing all of the wedding music again, just as I look up to see a barely English speaking Mexican family preparing for their mother’s funeral that night – this is WHILE the wedding music is playing. How sad!
After a good 25 or 30 minutes of this hilarity/craziness, I decided to go find where I can light a candle, hoping that it might be in a side chapel where I could really spend time with God.
I search and search and search – finally I end up in the parish office and ask, “Do you know where in the church I might go to light a candle.” Well, being Friday, a holiday weekend or graduation weekend (or a combination of these) they must have had someone sitting in for the typical person there. She didn’t think so, but needed to ask the maintenance man to be sure. Nope – nowhere to light a candle in the church, not in the cathedral, not in the chapel, not anywhere. I didn’t know that Catholic churches could opt out of candle lighting, but apparently they can.
I decide to leave, I can pray in my car better than here.
As I get to my car, I can not find me keys. I CAN NOT FIND MY KEYS. In the rain, I unload the entire contents of my purse onto the back of my cars. They are not there. I look around the car, under the car, the walk to the sanctuary, the steps. I am freaking out. I’ve never lost my keys before. My spare car key is in storage. My storage key is in my car! Maybe my car is unlocked so at least I can get my storage keys. I try the door with my stomach in a knot. I let out the largest breathe of a sigh when the door opens. Oh, maybe I dropped them in the car? No, not on the floor, I get in and sit to figure out the situation – and there they are: in the ignition. So I start the car – but it won’t start, because it is already running! I LEFT MY KEYS IN A RUNNING CAR!!! I’ve never done that in my entire life! Apparently I was super excited/nervous about praying in a cathedral and lighting a candle. . .thankfully I was in a church parking lot and if you steal a car from a church parking lot you probably will be immediately condemned to hell (with a stop in purgatory, for you Catholics out there).
What an adventure – all to pray for P. I love adventure, but I hope my whole life with him will not be this comical.