Darn it! I was at least half an hour late for church tonight. I was aware all day that I had Mass at 6:30 PM, but then at 4:30 PM or so I got involved in researching something for the other kind of journal entry, the kind that has to do with the general ledger rather than blogging. By the time I remembered about church again, it was 6:38 PM. D'oh! The church is quite close to where I work, but I had to pick Kevin up before I could go in. That's where the other twenty minutes went.I expect you're wondering why I had church at all on a Friday night in September, and why I'm posting a line drawing of an angel. Two questions, one answer. Tonight was Michaelmas, the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. The drawing is St. Michael the Archangel. The church: The Episcopal Parish of St. Michael and All Angels. Tonight was therefore our "patronal feast."
It shouldn't have been this hard to remember. I posted a notice for it online, but when the time came for me to actually go, I was distracted. Typical! But the only person who was really inconvenienced was Proscovia, who is in charge of the acolytes. She wanted me to be crucifer tonight, it turns out. I probably would have said no, simply because I'm not good at leaving work at a particular time. Even worse, I'm not good at remembering events that break my routine. Clearly.
In case you're wondering, I'm not going to discuss the pros and cons of believing in angels. Not tonight, anyway. I will say, however, that I'm not at all fond of the cutesy female angels of popular iconography. I much prefer the concept of an angel like Michael: specific, canonical, male, and potentially dangerous rather than generic, trivial and harmless.
As for forgetting church, I hope I do better on Sunday, when St. Michael's celebrates the Feast of St. Francis with the Blessing of the Animals. Tuffy has been making her annual trip to St. Michael's since before Noodle died. One year I got there, saw the animals, dropped off Kevin, and dashed home for Tuffy.It's interesting how doggie instinct works. If you visit Tuffy at my house, she will bark and run away. Eventually she will approach a few people she knows, but it takes a long time, maybe an hour. But that's not what happens when John and I aren't there to make Tuffy feel relatively safe. When we go out of town and Kevin takes care of Tuffy for us, she doesn't make it easy for him. She barks her head off, and never stops.
But at St. Michael's Tuffy is quiet and well-behaved. Away from her home territory, surrounded by strange people, dogs, cats, birds, turtles, hamsters, etc., she's a little restless and definitely shy, but most of the time she will lie down and hang out. She even comes up behind people and gives them a sniff, but she will back off if the person turns around. If only she behaved that well for dogsitter Kevin, I'm sure he would have a much more pleasant time with her.On Sunday, I'll bring you back some fresh pictures of dogs in church!
Karen
1 comment:
Yes, I prefer the male, warrior angel images rather than the sweet and soft angels. I've always imagined (since I was a child) my guardian angel as being strong, protective, and capable of defending me against harm. I would even go for a female angel if she were warrior-like, say, as a Xena or even a Danielle. I want my angel to be wielding a sword, and to be fiercesome in battle against any imagined evil, whether male or female.
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