Last night I was able to attend my very favorite Catholic tradition ever, the Easter Vigil Mass. I love entering into the church and it is all dark and the only light in the sanctuary comes from the candles everyone is holding. It is a very intimate feeling. I enjoy that time in the dark while listening to the many readings... ones that are so familiar to me that I know them pretty much backwards and forwards. It feels even more like a family community coming to hear the patriarch of the family telling the stories of our past. It is relaxing and comforting.
The most fun part of the Mass for me is most definitely when the lights come on during the gloria and we can finally enjoy the beautiful flowers which adorn the altar. It is exciting because I know when it is coming, and every single time I still am amazed at how pretty the sanctuary looks once those lights are turned on. Everyone who has a job to do get up and move like busy worker bees getting their jobs done as quickly and nicely as possible.
I was happy to know a number of people coming into the church this year. One whole family became Catholic. What excited me about this particular family the most is the fact that they send both (well only the younger one now because the older is in kindergarten) to my daycare. I was so happy to watch the parents faces after they were all together and I just saw this look of great joy. It was as if to say that they were finally home. It was a tender moment to catch. Another person who came into the church that I know happens to be someone who I know through work as well. His wife was a co-worker of mine. I knew him a little before they became engaged and I was able to attend their wedding. It was nice to see him get baptized and confirmed.
After Mass there was a reception, and boy did they go all out this year. It was like a pitch-in dinner. There was so much delicious food. I enjoyed catching up with some really close friends of mine who I have not seen in quite a while, and who I have missed dearly. It was a happy way to celebrate Easter.
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