{"id":38403,"date":"2013-03-06T08:22:58","date_gmt":"2013-03-06T14:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=38403"},"modified":"2013-03-06T09:01:41","modified_gmt":"2013-03-06T15:01:41","slug":"second-pew-choir-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/03\/second-pew-choir-side\/","title":{"rendered":"Second Pew, Choir Side"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"secondpewchoirside\"<\/a>I can point to the pew I sat in the first time I went to Mass at St. Mary\u2019s in College Station. It was my first week as a freshman at Texas A&M. I had only been to Mass a few times before in my life. A Christmas with my grandmother as a small child, once with a boyfriend in high school. \u00a0I wasn\u2019t Catholic, but I was awed by the words. I listened to the prayers, the readings, the hymns.<\/p>\n

Like poetry.<\/p>\n

I wondered why no one had ever told me how much the Catholic Church liked Jesus (from my experience, I had always thought the Baptists had won that competition). The Mass just couldn\u2019t stop talking about Him.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t mind not knowing the responses. A friend provided me with a missal, and I followed along – slowly learning the words, gradually becoming familiar with the hymns. And all these people around me! How lucky they were! They had been here all along\u2026. Then, my friend told me about RCIA, and there wasn\u2019t even one moment of consideration. Of course I\u2019d be there! Step aside, here I come.<\/p>\n

Later, after being welcomed into the Church with open arms, I found myself becoming a little more aware of my surroundings. Those praying near me\u2026 how did they do it? What was their method? Did they go to daily Mass, too? As I got more involved at St. Mary\u2019s, I knew which fellow students were \u2018active\u2019 and those who weren\u2019t. I could spot their heads in the pews around me. Ah, those<\/em> were the serious ones.<\/p>\n

As time went on, I found myself increasingly aware of those sitting next to me in the pews. I really wanted to be sure that everyone was doing everything \u2018correctly\u2019. Should they be wearing that? Why did she take her purse up to communion with her\u2026 is she planning on leaving? Man, he smells like cigarette smoke.\u00a0 Really? A Starbucks cup tucked under the pew? And the guy staring out the window instead of singing\u2026 what\u2019s his problem?<\/p>\n

And so, I ventured into the voluntary role of \u201cSpiritual Mass Babysitter\u201d. Keeping tabs. Take a look at my face, I\u2019ll keep you in line.<\/p>\n

Becoming a wife and a parent gave everything another perspective. A \u2018grown-up\u2019 now, in this university parish. Distraction became the height of irritation. Did these kids around me know how very precious these few minutes of stillness were to me? Didn\u2019t they realize that someone would have to go to the bathroom any second now? They really owe me some quiet here. \u00a0Oh, and other babies crying? Really? I take my babies out when they so much as squeak. My desperation crept into every moment, eroding away any sense of prayer or reverence.<\/p>\n

I had gone from, in the span of 12 years or so, a 17 year old girl with eyes wide open, full of awe, to a critical, righteous woman who was more worried about the state of everyone else\u2019s soul (and wardrobe, parenting skills and mental acuity) than her own.<\/p>\n

From a state of pure innocence and wonder to a griping, cold arrogance.<\/p>\n

Hand wide open to a fist.<\/p>\n

\u2026 and time passed \u2026<\/p>\n

Something changed in me.<\/p>\n

Because now, for some reason, everything is different.<\/p>\n

I don’t know exactly why, but I can tell you how.\u00a0 I opened my eyes.<\/p>\n

After communion. Yes, I open my eyes.<\/p>\n

You see, from my pew, I watch approximately 500 souls walk past me each Sunday, on their way to receive our Savior in communion.\u00a0 Gone are the days when I used to wonder why her skirt was so short, or if he bothered to brush his hair before walking out the door, or if they\u2019re really taking all of this seriously. That is not my job. \u00a0By some grace of God, I now just see His people. The souls who, for reasons only He knows, are here with me under this roof.<\/p>\n

And, just like I know how hard it is to get myself to go to the gym some days, I now know how hard it is for some people to walk in those doors. Because life is more disparate than ever. Because sometimes it\u2019s easier to not think. Because sometimes the fight seems just too hard.<\/p>\n

And I am so glad they have come.<\/em><\/p>\n

The woman with her two autistic sons. The body builder with a huge crucifix tattooed on his arm. The beautiful college girl with sad eyes. The frat boy who is challenged almost every minute to balance his life with his faith. The widow who musters every bit of determination to come to Mass without her beloved husband.<\/p>\n

So, I take this moment to apologize. A huge virtual, cosmic apology for my great arrogance. For my assumptions, for my criticisms, even though I know you never knew they were there.<\/p>\n

Man, life is hard.<\/p>\n

My friends, the Church needs you!<\/p>\n

And we need Jesus.<\/p>\n

And I see souls instead of bodies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I can point to the pew I sat in the first time I went to Mass at St. Mary\u2019s in College Station. It was my first week as a freshman at Texas A&M. I had only been to Mass a few times before in my life. A Christmas with my grandmother as a small child,… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[3,4,90,91,154],"tags":[1489,386,131,1488],"class_list":{"0":"post-38403","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-acnm","7":"category-blog","8":"category-faith-blog","9":"category-young-adult","10":"category-youth","11":"tag-catholic-convert","12":"tag-communion","13":"tag-mass","14":"tag-what-to-wear-to-mass","15":"entry","16":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15310,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/04\/animals-with-catholic-captions\/","url_meta":{"origin":38403,"position":0},"title":"Animals with Catholic Captions","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"April 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the best things about being Catholic is the hope and joy we have in our faith. Jesus Christ is truly Risen! He is risen indeed! Sometimes, we Catholics take ourselves too seriously. We live in a Good Friday world but we are an Easter people and alleluia is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/jumping-animal.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7739,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/the-3rd-roman-missal-a-massive-change-a-massive-opportunity\/","url_meta":{"origin":38403,"position":1},"title":"The 3rd Roman Missal: A MASSive Change & A MASSive Opportunity","author":"Rita Suva","date":"November 27, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"\"If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy.\" \u2013St. John Vianey By the time most people read this, most of us will have attended Mass on Sunday, November 27, the First Sunday in Advent. At that Mass, if you didn\u2019t already know that it was going to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Fr.-Paul-Ybarra-C.S.C.-Celebrates-His-First-Mass-as-Main-Celebrant-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":35424,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/02\/catholic-time-travel-101\/","url_meta":{"origin":38403,"position":2},"title":"Catholic Time Travel 101","author":"Chris Williston","date":"February 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The call came in at 1:20p.m. on a Tuesday. My professional association had run a nice \u201cmember spotlight\u201d on me in its magazine. \u00a0It wasn\u2019t much, just a few pictures of me and my family and a nice questionnaire about my career and personal interests. So, when a colleague called\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ACNM"","block_context":{"text":"ACNM","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"popewho (1)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/popewho-1-630x455.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/popewho-1-630x455.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/popewho-1-630x455.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39941,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/06\/travel-like-a-catholic\/","url_meta":{"origin":38403,"position":3},"title":"Travel Like a Catholic","author":"Rita Suva","date":"June 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Summer is almost here, which means more out-of-town weekend trips and week-long (or longer!) vacations that leave some of us Catholics away from our home parishes on Sunday. Travel, vacations and being away from our home parishes on Sunday can present a dilemma for us Catholics and we often scramble\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Screenshot of The CatholicDirectory.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Travel-Like-a-Catholic-300x204.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14330,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/04\/diocese-of-austin-chrism-mass-2012\/","url_meta":{"origin":38403,"position":4},"title":"Diocese of Austin Chrism Mass 2012","author":"Laura Gonzalez","date":"April 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, Bishop Joe V\u00e1squez lead the\u00a0Diocese\u00a0of Austin in this year's Chrism Mass\u00a0at St. William Catholic Church in Round Rock. The church was filled to its\u00a01,700 person capacity for this once-a-year liturgy, including approximately 500 catholic school students. For the past few weeks I've been surprised by how many practicing\u00a0Catholics are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/chrism-mass-1-215x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":227410,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/03\/popular-misconceptions-catholic-mass-part-ii-ad-orientem\/","url_meta":{"origin":38403,"position":5},"title":"Popular Misconceptions About the Catholic Mass, Part II: Ad Orientem","author":"Michael Raia","date":"March 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cMany Catholics are unaware that priests are not required to celebrate Mass facing the assembly.\u201d \u00a0 In the second of a series on popular misconceptions about the Catholic Mass \u2013\u00a0particularly a few widespread changes in practice since the Second Vatican Council that many assume to be required \u2013\u00a0I would like\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pope Francis Ad Orientem","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/PopeFrancisCelebratesAdOrientum-550x309.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/PopeFrancisCelebratesAdOrientum-550x309.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/PopeFrancisCelebratesAdOrientum-550x309.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38403\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}