It had seemed like a long time since I last went to Mass.
With four church trips in a row the week before, this regular Sunday morning mass seemed like I’d missed something somehow.
As Mass ended, Canon P announced there was a collection of old statues, books, and religious items available for free to good homes. They were displayed on a long table and available to anyone who wanted them in the social center, along with the usual coffee and croissants.
I thought about how my family might react to my bringing back a 3-foot-high statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary to plonk in the front of the house, or maybe to display in the living room window. But the only statues were tasteful, and small.
I nearly took a book, but remembered I already have a pile of them at home waiting to be read. So I left the treats for others and stuck to coffee.
As I was about to leave, the heavens opened. A message perhaps that I ought to give one of the damaged Jesus statues a home after all? Or an excuse to talk to Canon P in the doorway for a few moments while the shower passed.
I asked if he’d managed to get some rest after so much activity the week before. He had, and we joked about how busy it got. Then the shower stopped. He went to prepare for the next Mass and I walked home.