Catholic Ragemonkey

A Liturgical First
Priests routinely joke about the liturgical days when you "get stuff" (like palms today). But, today, I had a "liturgical" first that I could only incredulously laugh about as I walked back to the rectory. Actually, the event was, at most, a "paraliturgical" first since it happened after the last Mass.

As I walked back to the rectory, I heard a voice call out, "Uh, sir!" I stopped, and looked into the covered drive at the church's entrance. There was an older woman, probably in her sixties, in a blue Oldsmobile that has seen better days. I responded, "Yes?" She said, "Can I get a palm?" (Here the questions began flooding my mind!) I said, "Well, did you go to Mass?" "No," she admitted with a bit of a chuckle, adding "it is sort of hard for me to get to church." I replied, "Well, you got in the car." She gave a conciliatory laugh as she said, "Well, that's a good point. I suppose you're right." So, I went back inside the church and retrieved a palm, delivering it to her through the open window of her running car. She said, "I guess I didn't tell you this is for my sister. She is homebound and can't get to church." The woman claimed that she herself is not a parishioner, and so I would not see her at Mass anyway. She simply wanted to get a palm because it would mean a great deal to her sister. I told her that was great and that she herself was also always welcome here. We got a good laugh over the confusion.

At any rate, I now can honestly claim to have had a Palm Sunday "Drive Thru Visitor"!