Member-only story
A Family Reunion
The quiet comforts of churchgoing
The pews are oak and the walls are white. The nun who helps pass out communion bread is already seated in the third row, just right of the center aisle. Families and couples trickle in, until the reader reminds us to silence our phones and asks us to stand.
The priest marches in behind the altar boy and welcomes us to this 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. A woman slips into the second aisle like a mouse. I’ve seen her before, thin as a rail, with strands of hair never quite fitting neatly into her ponytail. She shrugs off a thin jacket, revealing an Under Armour Freedom t-shirt underneath. Throughout the rest of the service, she bows her head and squeezes her eyes shut.
The Nicene Creed, the first and second readings, the Gospel, and then the sermon. Somewhere in the pews, a phone chimes. Somewhere else, there is a baby — at least one baby — crying, all the time. The priest stands taller and raises his voice to speak above the sounds of life. There is no hint of impatience. All are welcome in the house of God.
The sermon ends, and it’s time for gifts. The suited grandfathers who had stood outside to greet us now make their way down the aisle passing around the offering basket. A snowy-haired grandmother deposits her envelope. A toddler reaches over his mother to contribute a crumpled…
