Going to church on Easter Sunday is like torture. It's when all the lapsed Catholics decide today's the day. At mass today, at a service where I regularly have room to stretch out, I was forced to stand even though I was 10 minutes early. I used to be very resentful of this, to the point where I always think about skipping Easter Sunday mass, since I do go to Easter Vigil anyway.
I was always bitter because these people show up for a day, get to feel all Catholic for an hour, then go back to their lapsed life. Why bother with Catholicism? There are untold numbers of Protestant demoninations that do this an call it normal. Why do they force me to stand on Easter, which is one of my favorite days to actually go to church?
But how bitter of me is that? I mean, here I am spending nearly every Sunday in church, and how can I be bitter that I have to stand one Sunday? These people are coming to church and trying to reconnect with their faith, and I'm annoyed? It's a beautiful thing. It's people trying to find their place in the world, trying to make terms with God. I'm not so bitter anymore. I'm happy for them, even if it's only for one day, or two counting Christmas.
The comforting thing about being Catholic is that it's not a very judgemental faith. I've been approached by other Christians and been told that I'm going to Hell and that my faith is misplaced, blah blah blah. To be fair, I think that about them too (ha ha ha), but who am I to shit upon someone else's faith? I think that the thing I like the most about being Catholic is that I do my thing, I do my good works and follow my path in the world. And other people, it's not my place to judge. It's not my place to condemn.
Today, in order to celebrate a wondrous Easter, I wanted a cupcake. The cupcake really is the most wondrous treat ever, a hand held confection that is cakey and wonderful. The last cupcake I had was in New York City, at Magnolia Bakery. A friend of mine felt like walking a little, and we were in the area, so we trekked over to Magnolia's West Village locale and indulged in a cupcake each.
It was a good cupcake. It was soft and moist, and the frosting was rich and decadent. But it was just a cupcake. It was something that I could get from any bakery that would so dedicate itself. The simple fact of the matter is that most bakeries in NYC are far too specialized to do something so trivial as cupcakes: bagel shops, bread bakeries, or ethnic bakeries, there are so many iterations.
And that cupcake meant nothing to me, until I started watching some television. In the few months since I've had that cupcake, I've seen 4 references to Magnolia, and I haven't seen one episode of "Sex and the City" (which is the most evil show ever, btw).
People put so much value into the name of things. People want Starbucks coffee and Black Angus beef and Heinz ketchup and Krispy Kreme donuts. Who cares? so Magnolia Bakery, you make an awesome cupcake, but in the end, it's just a cupcake.
I think that Catholicism is judgemental, too, in it's own way. It's just that in general, we tend not to be as in-your-face as some Christians are.
ReplyDeleteOur church was packed this Easter. It could be due to the holiday. It could also be because people were dying of curiosity. Some charlatan posed as a priest for a year and people wanted to see who it was and what the Church had to say about it. (They had nothing.)
Oh, and why is & the City the most evil show ever?
:-)
Sex and the City isn't reality. It preaches a lifestyle that is the female equivalent to a fraternity movie.
ReplyDeleteIn the Catholic Church, I think technically Easter is the one day you have to attend mass, otherwise you get de facto excommunicated.
ReplyDeleteWell, I went to Easter Vigil though, and it's the same readings and stuff. I end up going every year anyway.
ReplyDelete