MAY 6, 2007

Easter and Holy Week are over. It is an adrenaline filled time of year for a parish priest - the riches of our liturgical tradition following one after another, culminating on Easter Sunday when the Church is jam- packed with people - wall to wall, standing, sitting, kneeling, in the choir loft and out the doors. We worry if there has been enough hosts consecrated, if we can get the parking lot cleared in time for the next Mass, if there are sufficient bulletins to be distributed, if the basket got passed to everyone, if the votive candles will hold out. In short, it is the one time during the year in which the anxiety of a parish priest rises because of too much response, because for one day the Church is too successful. And then the weeks following Easter come, with lower than usual attendance, collections, participation, as though to average things out. The low after the high, if you will. The following was sent to me by a parishioner who noticed the let down:

Funny how a $10 bill looks so big when you take it to church, but so small when you take it to the grocery store.
Funny how long it takes to serve God for an hour, but how quickly a team plays 60 minutes of basketball.
Funny how long are a couple of hours spent at church, but how short they are when watching a movie.
Funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray, but don't have difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.
Funny how we get thrilled when a baseball game goes extra innings, but we complain when a sermon is longer than the regular time.
Funny how hard it is to read a chapter in the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a best selling novel.
Funny how people want to get a front seat at any game or concert, but scramble to get a back seat at church services.
Funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks advance notice to fit a church event into our schedule, but can adjust our schedule for other events at the last minute.
Funny how much difficulty some people have learning a simple gospel well enough to tell others, but how simple it is for the same people to understand and repeat gossip about someone.
Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.
Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven, provided they don't have to believe or to think or to say or to do anything to deserve getting there.
Funny, isn't it?????

Every Sunday is a little Easter - See you in Church!