I walked into a church last night, and mass was starting. I sat down and listened to the "saaaaaaaaaaaaangre!" and "espiritu santo!" and the other words, most of which I didn´t understand. I started to seethe at the old, white-haired men in charge. I thought of all of the ideas of the Catholic church that I despise--the misogyny, the condemnation of homosexuals, the exploitation of impoverished Latin Americans. I started to admire the wall of gold at the front of the church and immediately thought of the Peruvian ruins stripped of their decoration by marauding Spaniards.
Then, Iain and another pilgrim walked in and sat down next to me.
Offertory began. I heard the rustling of the rooting around in pockets and the clinking of coins. I kept my hands in clear view, vowing that I would not contribute to this institution, feeling self-righteous and angry. Iain, who as of this particular mass, has been to a total of 4 church services in his life, prepared to contribute. I thought mean thought about him, too, for being in cahoots with the whole thing.
He leaned over to me and whispered, "I´ll get this round."
Then, Iain and another pilgrim walked in and sat down next to me.
Offertory began. I heard the rustling of the rooting around in pockets and the clinking of coins. I kept my hands in clear view, vowing that I would not contribute to this institution, feeling self-righteous and angry. Iain, who as of this particular mass, has been to a total of 4 church services in his life, prepared to contribute. I thought mean thought about him, too, for being in cahoots with the whole thing.
He leaned over to me and whispered, "I´ll get this round."
1 comment:
hee hee! i like Iain. I am now desperate to know more about the croissant delivery, was this a random act of kindness or premeditated? its intriguing!
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