Widow's Mite

Friday, May. 27, 2016

This week I have been identifying with the poor widow who dropped a few cents into the temple’s treasury. In my case, it hasn’t been money that I’ve given, but myself.

Ever since I started tuning in to the Church’s message a couple of years ago, I’ve been hearing that I’m expected to evangelize. Unfortunately, my catechism, such as it was, occurred in the early years after Vatican II, and anything I did manage to learn has been long forgotten, so you can understand why I’ve been reluctant to introduce myself into any situation that might require answering questions about the faith. 

A couple of years ago I got tired of being ignorant, so I embarked on a religious self-improvement project. I’m not yet a theologian by any stretch of the imagination, but this week I was at least able to share the first fruits. 

This happened, fittingly enough, in the Cathedral of the Madeleine. I went to the Tuesday evening Mass, and as I returned from Communion I noticed three young people sitting in the back. Their posture was respectful but uncomfortable in a way that implied they weren’t Catholic.

After Mass ended I stopped by their pew, welcomed them to the cathedral, and asked if they had any questions. Don’t ask what possessed me – I don’t know. It just seemed the thing to do.

Turned out they did have quite a few questions; they’re taking a class in comparative religions, and they were very grateful that I was willing to chat. They asked about many things: 

The cathedral’s interior design? Well, the Stations of the Cross recreate scenes from Jesus’ Passion – this one we’re in front of, for example, depicts Veronica wiping the face of Jesus. Oh, Veronica isn’t named in the Bible, she’s part of Catholic tradition.

The order of the Mass? Yes, it’s pretty much a set ritual that’s the same the world over – at every Roman Catholic Church in the world, you’ll hear the same Mass on any given day, with permitted variations. On Sundays one of the main differences is that there are three readings instead of two. 

Confession? The priest acts in the person of Christ, forgiving our sins. Yes, if you want, there’s a screen between you and him, so it can be anonymous. Well, yes, we know that it’s entirely likely that after confessing we’re going to commit the same sin again, but it’s not a valid confession unless we promise to try to avoid that. But if we do it again, then back to confession we go.

Yes, we Catholics believe that the Eucharist is in fact the Body and Blood of Christ; it’s not symbolic.

They had more questions, but you get the gist. My answers weren’t perfect: I should have explained more about God’s mercy when we talked about confession, and I stumbled over a question of why we pray. I remembered that there were five types of prayer, but could only come up with petition and thanksgiving and praise. I also neglected to invite them to come back.

Still, as I left them to take pictures of the cathedral, I felt that what little I had been able to share was enough. My words hadn’t converted anyone, but perhaps they planted a seed. If Jesus had been standing in the back of the cathedral that day, I doubt he would have pointed me out as an example, but I like to think I might have given him cause to smile.