What, by any other name, would smell as sweet? A rose, of course; everybody knows that, thanks to pop Shakespeare. Would that we could all quote more.
But things are smelling sweet around the rectory these days, thanks to some good work by another blossom, or a plumbing company by that fragrant name. Thank you for the several inquiries of general concern last week; the concern was warranted, but our deliverance was achieved late last Thursday and we were all able to sleep in our own beds that night, and be rested and ready for the weekend’s demands. It is a learning experience to find out how much of daily life depends of the clear function of that one pipe. Now all that is behind us.
It is good to have all such systems “go” as we turn the calendar page and suddenly (it’s always sudden, no matter how you plan) it’s May. There are a thousand things to do this month, both parochial and personal, and because the weather gives us a jolt of energy we entertain the optimism that we will actually be able to do most of them. I am trying to pace myself.
The first weekend comes on strong with First Holy Communion Mass on Saturday and the May Procession and Crowning on Sunday. Add to that Friday’s Grandparents’ Day in the school, and it’s a Triduum in its own right. First Holy Communion is my favorite Mass of the year, and after practicing last Sunday with this year’s kids, I can say that they are ready and eager for the great gift that will both feed them and guide them for the rest of their lives, God willing. Many of them I have known their whole lives up to this point; I hope decades from now still to get a postcard update or two, once in a while, to hear about, you know, The Rest of the Story.
Many of the girls on Saturday will have real flowers in their hair as they prepare to receive the Lord; it is a good reference for the crown of blossoms we will place on Our Lady’s statue on her May altar. Speaking of which, let me just say Anthony Dao, our maintenance guy extraordinaire, did not let last week’s plumbing problems distract him from the expectations of Our Lady. Sometime after the First Communicant retreat Sunday afternoon, but before Adoration began Sunday evening, the Lady Altar appeared so as to be in place when the first morning of May, Mary’s month, dawned Monday. Please, do not forget to bring flowers for her altar throughout the month! Bringing them is a great excuse to “make a visit” during the week, and get in some prayers with the younger members of the family.
Speaking of flowers, the HSA plant sale last weekend was a huge hit until it was washed out Sunday afternoon. That meant there were some leftovers for me to scavenge Monday to add to my first haul from Saturday when the crew gave me my pick of the litter. So this week I have been potting and placing flowers on the rectory porches, front and back, that make the place a little more livable, even delightful, for the coming six months. Yes, many of last year’s flowers made it into November. Looking at those little seedlings every few hours to check for growth is another optimism-booster.
Waiting for the floral payoff can be a longer game, too. I was pleased to see the knockout roses in front of the school coming into bloom this week. A year or two ago we planted them where those huge holly trees had been, in hopes of having something a little less towering, a bit more elegant to flank the old entrance. You know they are yellow roses for a reason? When Our Lady visited the grotto of Lourdes and spoke to young Bernadette Soubirous, one of the things our young patroness noticed about her was that she had a golden rose on the toe of each shoe.
So in this month of Our Lady, which I (mostly) affectionately call “Mayhem,” when you see the roses blooming, let the sight and the fragrance inspire you to practice the theme song. You know how it goes: Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing… It is called the Lourdes Hymn, and so it is proper to us, our patroness, and our parish. How sweet it is!
Monsignor Smith
