Most would think Sunday mornings are the perfect time to sleep in, especially on a stormy day like today. Not for me! Every Sunday I decide which mass I would like to attend. As I mentioned briefly before, I am Roman Catholic and I make it a point to attend weekly mass at the local parish. I have been fortunate enough to have been welcomed into St. Mary's Cathedral Parish and have been walking there every week since moving to Portland. It's usually a nice walk - early mornings in Portland are like none other. I usually run into a few homeless people, but I continually forget to pack something to offer them.
Today I was running late because I overslept. I packed a scone in my purse, expecting to eat it after mass when I stopped for coffee at Starbucks. Yet on my way to church I saw a homeless man and had the overwhelming instinct to stop and talk to him. I offered him the scone and impulsively asked if he would like to join me in going to mass. He said yes.
Can we take a moment to appreciate that a homeless person, a stranger, accepted my offer to attend mass with me?
I have no idea why I asked or why he said yes, I just felt like crying out of joy. I knew - I knew! - the Holy Spirit had something to do with it. Why would I do that? I mean, I know I have a habit of talking to strangers (thanks Ma), but still... If I had not slept in I would have gone to an earlier mass and missed the man nor packed breakfast to go. If it had not been raining I would have walked faster to church (because I wouldn't have to worry about stepping in puddles and getting excessively wet). I am still slightly flabbergasted at what happened.
The man decided not to sit with me at mass. I figured I would not want to intrude on his time with the Lord. I did not see him after mass, but I hope the man was able to enjoy his time with God.
Anyway, the homily today partially had to do with the Pope's interview. If you have not read it, I highly suggest you do. Later on I think I will do a segmented review of the interview as I have not entirely finished reading it. It seems as though there are some misunderstandings about it and I would like to discuss them and the rest of the interview as it has been on my mind lately.
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