My Trip to Mass Last Week

As the alarm was attempting to wake me up for Mass this morning, I wondered why it was so much "easier" to walk 6 miles in the rain to Mass than get up at 7:00 AM!
My little walk last week is more than just something for me to brag about. It was a very special, meaningful time for me. I hope that my story will be more than a brag story. I hope that my testimony here will inspire you in some way & that you will understand that I was truly blessed by this experience!

Recently, I've been participating in First Reconciliation Parent Classes, then First Communion Parent Classes at Church. More than once, Fr. Joe has emphasized that missing Mass is a grave matter! If you are sick, caring for someone, or the nearest Mass is 50 miles away, you are excused. Other than that, you'd better be there! (possible exaggeration on my part).

As soon as we got to the hotel in Raleigh last Friday, I grabbed the phone book to look for the nearest Catholic Church. My sister asked, "What are you doing?" I responded, "You know what I am doing!" I'd mentioned to her my intentions previously. I was going to go to Mass while on the trip. She rolled her eyes at me. In fact, she rolls her eyes at me just about anytime I mention anything about the Catholic Church.
I found the listing for the closest church, but couldn't find it on the map. I asked at the front desk if they directions to nearby churches, and they did.

My sister had told me that one of the ladies on the trip, a coordinator of some sort, was also Catholic, so I went to her room to express my desire to attend Mass. Her daughter looked at me as if I had dropped in from another planet when I mentioned it. (Her mom wasn't available at the time.) I was quite possibly on my own for this.

In Advent of this past year, I began praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet everyday at 3:00 PM. Real Life Radio plays it on the air everyday but Sunday, so I typically just sit by the radio with my rosary for ten minutes. On the band trip last week, obviously, I couldn't tune in to my beloved 1380 AM. HOWEVER, I had planned ahead and downloaded the Chaplet from their website to my MP3 player.
Because it was on my MP3 player, I didn't have to wait until exactly 3:00 to pray. So a little before 3, I turned on the Chaplet. While I was praying, Jesus revealed to me that I needed to go ahead and come to Mass, regardless of what anyone else thought/said. I finished praying around 3. According to the paper from the front desk, Mass @ St. Michael's Church started at 5:00 PM. The directions indicated that it was about 6 miles away. Now, I don't exercise...ever...but I figure that I walk about 3 mph. So it would only take me 2 hours to get there. How convenient! So I grabbed my coat and took off.

IT WAS NOT RAINING WHEN I LEFT THE HOTEL.

However, less than a mile away, it did start to rain. Just some sprinkles. No big deal. I had a hood. I was good to go. It was going to pass. Or not. At times, it did seem to stop...but then it would start again. Not raining hard, but raining. And raining. And raining. For the rest of the way, it continued to rain. Even light rain, when constant for 2 hours, can get one a little wet. No matter, by the time I realized that it was not stopping, I wasn't stopping.

I had my little MP3 player with me and thought that some music might help me along. Nice though, except that I dropped the thing once and it is very particular about movement. If it moves, it may pause itself. This is very annoying when walking!! So, I gave up on that after a few songs. During the first part of the walk, I enjoyed the scenery, the sounds, the atmosphere of my surroundings. It was nice to be outside for a walk. I got a real kick out of an Arby's sign. It was the type of sign you would see with an "H" indicating a hospital nearby. However, it was the Arby's hat! Ha! If I had been hungry for Arby's that would have been very helpful. Nevertheless, it was amusing.

Now, once my leg started hurting and I started to FEEL wet, my attitude changed a little. I began to ponder what I was doing and WHY I was doing it. "I'm going to Mass because Fr. Joe will not approve if he knew I had a way to Mass and didn't go." No...that wasn't it.

If you have read much of this blog at all, or if you have talked to me recently, you know that I am a new Catholic. One of the things that had been tricky for me to grasp is the True Presence. Fr. George McInnis spoke at the March Family Holy Hour about this topic. His passion for the Eucharist and the True Presence really impacted me.
As I was walking up a hill on the way to Mass in NC, I began to tell myself, "I am going to see Jesus!" Jesus! That's why I was walking. It wasn't about me. It wasn't about exercise. Not even about Fr. Joe "coming to get me." It was about Jesus! How exciting! Fr. McInnis mentioned that if more folks believed in the True Presence, they wouldn't leave the Church. It's JESUS, folks!!

At one point on the walk, near the place that the sidewalk disappeared and I was walking in mud puddles, I took hold of the rosary in my pocket and prayed the Rosary. What a blessing! I had uninterrupted time to pray the Rosary, ponder the True Presence and other aspects of my faith.

Near the end of my trek to the church, I started to become discouraged, figuring that I would never find it, but I kept going. I was already soaked!

I made it to the church in 1 hour & 45 minutes. Right on target. I was hoping to make it there 10-15 minutes before the Mass began.

I took that time to hang out in the bathroom for a little while, hoping to air dry just a little before going into the service. When I did go in, I found a spot in the back quarter of the sanctuary (which was very big!). I slid into a pew with my wet coat beside me. There are many details about the service I could share, but the most important was the emotion that I experienced. I was cold, tired,...well...wet. I felt a little out of place; slightly embarrassed, self-concious, etc. But when the Mass began, I knew I was where I was supposed to be. There were many moments during that hour when I wanted to cry for love of Jesus, the Eucharist, the Mass, etc. I was very glad to have been able to receive Jesus even though I was far from home. It was worth it! Every step.

Now, I am not superwoman. The thought of walking back 6 miles in the rain, starting out wet, did not appeal to me. I walked outside of the church to survey the situation. There was a minibus transporting people from the church, but you had to have called ahead. I broke down and cried as I walked back to the church. The priest was finishing his post-Mass greetings as I approached him. I'm not quite sure what he thought of this drown-rat crying about walking in the rain! He did help to find a parishioner to drive me back to the hotel. She was a mom with her kids in a minivan. :-) I pray that Sonja and her family will be richly blessed for taking time out of their evening to drive me back!

I was SO GLAD to have had extra shoes!! My poor little shoes still haven't recovered from the walk. :-( Glad new shoes were part of the band gig!!

Later, I talked with the Catholic lady from the band. She mentioned trying to find a Catholic Church. I said, "It's about 6 miles THAT way. About 1 hour 45 minutes on foot." Her response, "Maybe I can find Mass on TV in the morning." Oh well.

I wanted to tell her everything that Fr. Joe & Fr. McInnis had taught me recently. I want to tell EVERYONE!! How I wish I had learned all of these things a long time ago! Of course, God didn't choose to reveal these things to me until now. I am very thankful & very blessed.