Midnight Mass 2015

This blogger was hoping to go to confession before taking Holy Communion but his plan failed and relied on the general confession at the beginning of Mass as a substitute.  Had he been able to make a personal confession, he would tell his confessor that due to an abundance of pride he had not been able to sit in church with patience and humility to listen to the priest he knew or thought to be merely going through the motions, delivering a homily without any invested interest, merely reading words on paper out loud with vapidity, and had considered such priestly actions to be insulting not only to the congregation in attendance but to God.

At the midnight Mass, about half the archbishop's homily was quoted from another homily by another person.  Not that this blogger had not tried--he had--but failed to comprehend what he was trying to say (perhaps he read the homily out too loud or his microphone was too sensitive, or perhaps he mistakenly equated the volume of his voice that blasted from the speakers and echoed around the cathedral with authority and passion).  This blogger's mind soon began to wander, thinking that something was very wrong with what he was seeing: an able-bodied man having the ability stand and walk without difficulty cloaked in religious garments was sitting in his chair reading his prepared text held by an alter boy kneeling before him.

It was a Christmas Mass and the archbishop could not speak extemporaneously without notes on the meaning of the birth of Christ?  And he could not be bothered to stand in front of his congregation to deliver with passion an inspiring Christmas homily?  Even if he needed his notes, did someone have to kneel before him so that he could read it?  Could he not have at least stood at the lectern?

The recessional hymn was "Joy To The World" but the Mass left this attendant with neither joy nor fulfillment.

This blogger's pride in his personal opinions could very well be a sin.  He supposes that he would continue to sin until he finds the right priest to lead him to Heaven.  Meanwhile, he would rather not break bread with those religious who he thinks could serve God better by resigning.  (May this blogger's soul be saved!)