Notes from a commute

[magid]

Just once, I'd like to hear the weather report finish "cloudy, with a chance of" with "meatballs."

There is much locally about the installation of the new cardinal in Boston. I'm fascinated by the pomp of it, all sorts of specialized words dusted off and used widely for the first time in ages (cathedra, crozier, etc.). The clip of part of the installation (I'm so sure there's a specific word for this I'm not remembering) included something that surprised me: massive applause. Not that the new guy doesn't deserve it, or anything like that, but I never quite think of applause as appropriate in the midst of a religious service.

Bright blue popcorn is just wrong. Blueberry crackers are also wrong, but not nearly so much.

I find it extremely strange that there's a Kabbalah bookstore in Newton. Come on in! Learn the mysteries of the universe! Free classes every Wednesday! Commercialized Kabbalah, or any mysticism, is just not how things should be.

Comments

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

It varies from congregation to congregation. prog mentioned the nun who frowned on any inappropriate noise. That exists, but it's an extreme. Applause in church isn't part of the service, per se. But there are breaks built into the service where one can make announcements, applaud, whatever. Hell, we may not be Southern Baptists shouting "Amen!" at every utterance, swaying and dancing in the aisles, and clapping our hands throughout the service, but we Catholics aren't the stuffshirts some people would make us out to be. For the record, in the past 10 years I have missed mass only 3 times, and I often go more than once a week, and applause happens for one reason or another during Sunday mass on average about a half-dozen or so times a year. I know that's not frequent, but it's not exactly rare either. Keep in mind that a mass is several things: an opportunity for spiritual reflection, structured worship and prayer, communal breaking of bread, and celebration; and applause is not anathema to that.