Every Lent I usually bite off more than I can chew. I have so much stuff on my plate two weeks in or so I give up. This year I decided to go with little bites, kind of like a tapas bar. Its only been a week but its working out well. I do a total internet fast on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Not only 3 days away from the internet but from T.V. as well. Three days isolated from the world and you would be amazed how it seems to rest the soul and stem off sin, specifically anger. In the internet you will always run into someone who will argue about anything. Its red, NO YOUR WRONG ITS BLUE YOU LOOSER!!! On T.V. this time of year its political commercials 90% of which are Democrats who’s only policy is to hate Trump. In Illinois the ringleader of this happy little team is no other than Governor Fatslob. There I go at just the thought of one of their commercials!! I am also reading Fr. Cekada’s work of human hands on my fast days.
On the alternate days, Tuesday and Thursday I thought to spend time in the local Novus Ordo perpetual adoration chapel. There are different trad opinions on this that the Novus Host in not consecrated because the new rite of ordination was lacking. I hope that is not the case and I don’t want to believe that is the case. My opinion is that Christ alone decides where he wants to reside. Regardless, since I am using my head for something other than a hat rack this year I thought I would bring my Father Lasance missal to the party and read the mass for the day along with the propers in front of the blessed sacrament. Only one fly in the ointment. The Novus ordo faithful really love noise, the more the better.
Rockford is a long haul for confession. The lines are also so long on Sunday morning its a crap shoot to see if you can get in before canon shuts down for mass. So I found 3 novus ordo priests in this diocese I actually do trust to do confession correctly and two are in the church a few blocks from the house, same place where I went to adoration this morning. Again, the last few times waiting to get in for confession at the NO I thought I was in a bus terminal. Not just whispering but loud voices to boot. No one seems to have the common sense to move into the narthex to carry on their chattering either. A lot of it is simply no common courtesy let alone a respect for God. I don’t think it is deliberate just decades of bad habits. When was the last time you heard anyone whisper in a library for that matter?
As for todays stent reading the mass for the Tuesday of the first week of Lent. The adoration chapel is across the hall from the main church. Doors were closed in both the chapel and the church and the noise was deafening. The mass was one thing, I think it was a funeral mass so it was a serenade of protestant hymns with a bagpipe solo at the end. No seriously, bag pipes playing amazing grace. I figure the guy was probably a Chicago cop. Then the mad house let out and the noise moved closer. Really really hard to concentrate on reading my missal. The adoration chapel has glass doors and walls off the hallway so not much to muffle the sounds yet people would stand in front of it talking about who knows what.
Take away the idol chatter from the outside and it was actually enjoyable. Reading the mass in front of the divine presence. Took about 45 minutes. Since I can’t get to Rockford for mass this was the next best thing. Hopefully Thursday will be much more subdued. Unless of course the devil has a hand in this. We all know during Lent he works overtime.