This past Sunday was the first on-campus Mass for the new academic year. Having enjoyed a relaxing summer where I didn't have to spend my Sunday evenings preparing for Mass I arrived extra early to make sure everything was prepped and ready... I really wanted to be able to double and triple-check everything just in case I managed to forget everything over the summer break.
When I arrived to the chapel I noticed that the lights we normally have on 24/7 weren't on. So naturally, I went to the sacristy and tried the old trick of turn everything off and back on again. No luck the lights were out. Specifically, the lights above the ambo were out. At 4:30 in the afternoon this wasn't a problem, but thinking about the sun setting and mass starting at 7:00PM I began to worry about there not being enough light to see the readings...so I began to panic. First, I rushed to the sacristy to find the clip lamp that every sacristy seems to have (often used at the Easter vigil when the mass starts in darkness). Checked several drawers then under an old Christmas gift bag I found it!
I turn it on... nothing... no batteries. No problem, I have batteries... Nope, this takes AAA I only have AA and a D cell batteries in the sacristy. Also no problem, I live on campus, I know I have AAA batteries in my apartment. I rush back grab the batteries put them in the clip lamp and turn it on... I immediately realize this is not the solution I hoped it would be. The light is far too dim. No worries, there is a three bulbed black lamp that I can bring from storage that won't look terrible next to the ambo.
Plug it in set it next to the ambo, don't love how it looks, but what can we do, I'd already called maintenance and they aren't able to fix the lights until Monday at the earliest (as I write this on Tuesday the lights are still out because a part needed to be ordered).
I go back to the sacristy and finish preparing everything else for the mass, including some beautiful hydrangeas from Trader Joe's to go by the altar, after all, it was the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Worship aids were printed and folded all that I had to do now was find some good readers. A task I was more than capable of doing since I knew at the very least there would be three staff members present who could take care of this.
So then I went to my office to relax a bit and prepare some projects for the next day. The night was over and I'd overcome the greatest obstacle that I would be facing. Or so I thought...
15 minutes until mass starts... 10 minutes until mass starts... 5 minutes until mass starts... 7:00PM mass is supposed to be starting... The priest still hasn't arrived.
I call the priest... no answer... So we made the decision to pivot from offering a mass to having a communion service without a priest. This is one of the exact reasons such an option exists within the Church. I've got the readers all lined up... The only major obstacle before me know is that We'll still want someone to offer a reflection and do some preaching. I take a deep breath, pause, say a quick prayer, and think to myself 'I can do this.'
The service begins, I follow the parameters outlined for what to say during a communion service without a priest. The first reading is read, the psalm is read, the second reading is being proclaimed and I start to pull up an old reflection I wrote about Mary several years ago. Now it's time. Time for the Gospel and my preaching. I bring my notes and phone with the reflection pulled up. I set these on the shelf in the ambo. I don't know if it was nerves or truly just the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but I never looked at these notes or the reflection from years ago.
It was a Mary feast day so that helped. I cannot remember exactly what I said, but the overall theme was The idea that Mary is our perfect example of making that which could have been ordinary extraordinary and how we to can make choices to go from ordinary to extraordinary. A more fitting message could not have come to mind. The first mass of the academic year the night before the first day of classes we had the beautiful example of Mary. From her humble yes to the great life she lived, to even the way in which she moved from this life to the next, we see the ordinary become extraordinary. I personally saw my own Sunday go from ordinary to extraordinary.
As I sit writing this reflection watching the rain falling on the window outside my office I'm reminded that even this ordinary, rainy dreary day can be extraordinary.
Much to the disappointment of the Dominican Sisters present I still don't plan on making a career or habit of preaching on Sundays.
