The priest started off his sermon by asking that any latecomers please remain in the back or wait until there was a hymn to seat themselves, so as not to "interrupt the whole atmosphere." I thought the priest himself interrupted the atmosphere by calling it to everyone's attention, and wondered briefly if he was talking about me. I had been there before the start of mass and since it hadn't started yet, had gone to find a restroom. When I returned, the congregation was singing and I didn't think anyone minded me walking up to a pew that had an empty seat on the end. However, that had been a good twenty minutes earlier and he was probably now speaking about people who were standing in the back at that particular time. It didn't matter who he was talking about though. I thought that it must have made a fair amount of people feel uncomfortable and I found his comments a bit unsettling.
The priest then launched into his homily, which had much to do with suffering and pain. I may not be giving him enough credit here, but the whole point of it seemed to be that we must suffer like Jesus and that pain is everywhere. I looked around to see if anyone else besides me found his message odd. If they did, they didn't show it. All the people were listening attentively.
He quoted something in some other language, then offered a translation. I believe he credited Buddha, but I might have misinterpreted due to his thick accent. I could have sworn he quoted Buddha as having said, "Pain and suffering is everywhere." WHAT WAS HE TALKING ABOUT???
I wanted to get up and leave. As luck would have it, I had to use the restroom again. (Never drink an entire bottle of water just before leaving the house for church.) I waited for a part of the mass when I felt I wouldn't be "interrupting the whole atmosphere" before I left my pew. The mass ended and the people were almost completely gone when I returned. The priest was shaking hands with congregants as they exited the church. His message also encouraged people to stand up for their beliefs and speak their mind (regardless of the suffering it might cause). I was tempted to stand up for my beliefs and tell him how much I disliked his sermon, but I resisted and exited through a different doorway.
I understand where he could have gone with his point... He was talking about sacrificing for others and I could relate to that idea. He could have talked about how joyous and rewarding it is to give selflessly to others. He didn't. He said we must sacrifice and suffer for the good of others. He made it sound like a miserable thing that we would have to endure.
I went home and conveyed my experience to Russ, who was getting ready to leave for a flight. We were stopping by his parents' house for a Father's Day visit before the airport. On the way we passed a McDonald's. I asked him to pull over.
I didn't want to stop for food. What caught my attention was the marquee in front. I was surprised, excited and nourished by it! It said, "The purpose of our lives is to be happy." (HA! and HA again!) I exclaimed, "I could've come HERE for spiritual guidance this morning!" Kudos to the manager of that McDonald's!
It's funny how you can find disappointment where you least expect it - and inspiration where you least expect it too. :)
Namaste,
T
P.S.
While writing this, I tried to find Buddha quotes having anything to do with pain or suffering. Here are a few that I found which run totally contrary to sentiments expressed at Sunday's service:
No comments:
Post a Comment