I woke up to a lovely Sunday morning in St. Louis. As I walked around the area near the venue, I soon found a beautiful church that reminded me of many things: one, my days as un jovencito sitting in mass, staring up at the ceilings; two, my Catholic school days at Our Lady of Sorrows in McAllen, Texas; and three, my first visit to New Orleans in 1995 as a new student to Loyola University, in which I gazed at the immaculate beauty of the insides of the school's cathedral.Upon immediate glance, I explored the buildings' outsides, admiring the architechture and surrounding statutes, but when I stepped inside, I then felt a peace and calming effect. It was a serene place, with a circular fountain of sorts, endlessly
moving holy water. The sound allow was enough to make me take a deep breath and relax. The smells of the old wood floors and burning candles brought calm to me in the midst of a busy tour and even more hectic city outside the four walls of the special sacturary.I naturally dipped my hand into the bowl of holy water and made the sign of the cross on my forehead. I even genuflected without thinking about it, just unconsciously. This place was impressive to say the least. I sat down and just tried to become still. I meditated and prayed.
I thought of this prayer known as the "serenity prayer" -
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
I walked out of the church with such a good vibe on my shoulders and
seemingly, nothing else. I tried to carry it on throughout the day and into the show.
I felt such a great energy and revitalization during the morning that I didn't wait to lose it; instead, I tried to retain it and pass it on to those around me, specifally via music.
As I played the show, I wanted people to feel the vibrations of that serenity I felt today. Like a dub line from a Bob Marley song or tumbao from Cachao, I desired to translate that positive energy into the hearts and soul of everyone around me. Hopefully, it did.
4 comments:
Sitting down to relax from my day at the kids' homeschool, I read your blog.
Before reading this, my thoughts were on this being "Hispanic Month" (9/17 - 10/17) and the pride I have of being Hispanic, Latina, Chicana, Mexicana, a bowl of salsa, Chicali. . . LOL all of it!!
Then I read your blog.
Instantly, I am taken back to "St. Anthony's Catholic Church in San Gabriel, CA, nickel in hand for the offering (hey, it was 1969), wearing my pretty lacy dress, purse and gloves.
The holy water, the confessional, la padre, the wafer. It seemed that no matter where I was in my life, some of those traditions went with me.
2004, Wittenberg, Germany. Visiting Castle Church. Walking into a building that was more than 500 years old. Knowing that Martin Luther nailed his "95 Theses of Contention" to the door.
pic of the church door: http://www.wittenberg.de/staticsite/staticsite.php?menuid=255&topmenu=255
I had never known anything like this. The awe and reverence I felt as I looked around at the majesticness of this place. The echo of the voices in the room. My eyes gazing at the pulpit where Martin Luther stood to do his lectures.
I found myself kneeling and making the sign of the crucifix as I approached the pews, just as I had when I was inside the San Gabriel Mission or St. Anthony's.
Is it a Catholic thing or Hispanic? I would tend to think that it's a little of both.
Thank you posting ALL of the "Serenity Prayer."
So now, I think I will continue in the celebration of my people by preparing our traditional foods como arroz, frijoles, enchiladas, flan y horchata.
Am I forgetting anything?
Oh yeah, thanks for the "fix."
I have a feeling you were quite able to pass it on. If not, that sense of peace you mention was certainly passed on in and through your writing.
May God continue that peace beyond today.
God's blessings,
Melanie
P.S. I knew you would have a good eye for photography. Nice photos.
Hey, i was at the show at the Creepy Crawl. You guys did an amazing job (especially considering the small size of the stage), and you definitely passed on that feeling. I am so glad that I was finally not busy on a night that you were in town. I had seen you guys two previous times (both at Cornerstone Festival), and couldn't wait to see you again.
Thanks again for the great show and great example that you set.
- Scott
P.S. Was that the SLU St. Francis Xavier Cathedral (at least I think that is the name)?
"That I may be reasonably happy in this life..."
That part never seems right to me. I know the meaning it's going for as our happiness in this life is never anywhere near what the fullness of the Kingdom of God means...
Yet, the way it's phrased seems to take away from the fact that God put us here for a reason, and our life here now is something special and blessed, and if we focus too much on the future Kingdom we could end up neglecting the now, which is all we really have.
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