Arghhhhhhhhhhhh!

Last night I went to the Church on campus to spend an hour in quiet prayer. About ten minutes into my prayer the silence was shattered. My eyes were closed when suddenly I heard a loud racket coming from the front of the Church. The noise continued to get louder and more and more ridiculous. Finally the noise was joined by a loud voice. You know the type I am talking about, the kind of voice where someone is so obnoxiously loud that you want to strangle them.

Since my heavenly bliss was shattered I decided I mine as well see what all the comotion was about. To my horror it was not a staggering homeless man, a wild child, but rather a part of the parish's Campus Ministry staff setting up for a wedding rehearsal. The woman was in her forties and was quite passive aggressive. As time went on she made more and more noise to the point where it was clear that she was being intentional. At first it made me very mad inside, so much so that I wanted to have a few words with her. I realize that sometimes noise is necessary and that certainly is understandable, but so is discrecion and the need to be reverant when in a Church (full or empty).

Following the incessant noise of the "setup," the woman met with the wedding participants for awhile. What struck me the most was that during the initial fifteen minute meeting with the bride and groom alone, there was no mention of God, nor the sacrament or marriage itself. In the midst of the craziness the woman had forgotten the very reason for being where she was. She was so busy doing God's work that she had forgotten to include Him. It was sad and quite upsetting to witness. However, in the end I was lucky to witness what I did and to be reminded by God that no matter how busy one is in life, one must never put God's work before God Himself. It is amazing how often I fallen into this trap. It is like the parent who runs around like a madman because they love their kids and want the best for them, yet they forget to say they love them, to show affection and spend time with them.

As the retreat ends tomorrow morning, I will be using the afternoon/evening to enjoy the stillness. I will embark on no major readings and no prayerful insights. Instead I will relax and take it in and pray for the grace to work the blessings of the past week into my life on a daily basis.