Following Ti Chi Chih class I was invited to dine with two nuns, a priest and a fellow TCC student. The new me replied positively and offered TCC friend Martha a ride. This is where it gets interesting. My four lunch dates were going to celebrate mass prior to grub. Martha invited me to mass, I obliged.
When the congregation is this small it is hard to be an incognito Protestant and when your three buds go forward you get lovingly invited as well. We stop and I mumble along and we take another step and we are at the same level as the priest. We turn and face the empty pews and join hands. Surprisingly I'm still very relaxed, probably the positive energy summoned with Ti Chi, until the priest offers me communion.
Red light, I'm not confirmed, this is against the law! I'm crossing my arms, practically beating my chest and he gestures again for me to partake. But this is Jesus and I have gum in my mouth. Do I spit it into my hand, swallow it, what is the protocol here?
I mouth the words "I have gum in my mouth" and whether he understands or just gives up, he blesses me and moves on. A missed opportunity or yet another learning experience on the road to spiritual development. Let's hope God has a sense of humor.
It has been said by many that, "God is a comedian whose audience is afraid to laugh."
ReplyDeleteThis is too funny!! If you would have swallowed the gum and taken the bread, I wonder if that would have messed with the chemistry of the bread changing to body. Oh dear -- that could be problematic!
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