Today is Sunday, and it the first Sunny Day since I’ve been here. While it is still as cold as Pluto here, to see the sun has been quite the gift this morning. It is now about 20 degrees (wind-chill must be near 15 degrees) – a brief snow storm yesterday, but mostly melted, which a marvel considering how cold the air has been.
I slept in until about 8:30 am, which is not bad since most of the time we are supposed to be up during the week days at 7:30 am. They had a 10:00 am count, which means we must all be standing next to our beds and quiet while two guards walk through and independently count. While heading to lunch, I stopped by the chapel which is on the way. It was still locked and no signs posted for any services. Then I shuffled over to the chow hall and had lunch, which was really brunch (scrambled eggs, banana, and oatmeal, actually very hot oatmeal which was needed to warm the bones).
On the way back to the dorms, I stopped by the rec center and into the library, which uses the honor system. Again, I chuckle at the idea of having a library honor system for prisoners, but I am sure that many of these guys are not interested in a library. Two books jumped out at me, Origin by Dan Brown and Medjugorje: The Message by Wayne Weible… After checking them out (rather just taking them) from the library, I headed to my bunk to read since the Browns were pitifully losing against Buffalo after a strong first quarter. Again, I can only watch a game and cannot hear what is being said since I do not have headphones or the receiver to watch any of the TVs. As soon as I started the first chapter of MKJFKJ, an announcement blared, “Catholic Mass now in the chapel!” I quickly dropped the book, jumped into my boots, and scurried over to the chapel.
Alas, the near impossible mission of trying to access the chapel was afoot, and I was finally welcomed into a house of God in a federal prison (more irony). Today was the Solemnity of Christ the King, and it was great to pray and worship with 20 other men. In counting them, they were probably all over the age of 55, except for pianist that actually sounded like someone playing their first grade school recital. I was baffled, but perhaps this is an area that I could assist with some music for other Masses. The need of normalcy was much welcomed, even if it was in a Church, it was a brief escape (pun intended) from the college environment.
While repetitive from earlier in the week, dinner was another burrito, but it had been changed up with the a different chicken filling with corn and black beans. I’m noticing a theme for the weekend on reusing the leftovers (that is what I expected, but not as good and filling). After a long day, I was ready to lay down and just read, so I read most of Medjugorje book, and unexpectedly disappointed with the author’s brash ego constantly intertwined in writing the book. Apparently he had a vision as a Lutheran publisher and felt inspired to investigate and write about the event in a paper, before pilgrimaging to Medjugorje and witnessing the event itself. I’m certainly not an author or in this guy’s position, but I would probably feel more humbled and less inclined to interject myself into this miraculous event. The author basically said he had visions too and tried to tie himself to the Medjugorje story, maybe he’s an instrument of the Divine, but he at least highlighted some interesting facts that I had not known: mystery of the sun and the formation of clouds into a dove. These events sounded similar to an occurrence that my family experienced while at a shrine to Guadalupe in Ohio. Time for me to now make my own clouds and dream…
BTW, the title for this is a quote from Medjugorje which I found fascinating and oddly interesting as I had my first Mass experience at the federal prison with other inmates.