It's been a rather full day for me today. When I got up this morning (after a very strange dream about being chased around the woods by a man in a bumblebee outfit), feeling very tired and somewhat bewildered, I peered through the curtains at the cold grey world and sighed. Snow is just lovely when you don't have to go anywhere, and you watch it coming down while you're wrapped up in a quilt and drinking hot chocolate (or in my case, this time of year at least, Irish Coffee!) next to a warm fire. It is less lovely when, after two or three days, it has turned to a foul, discoloured, frozen and perilous slush and you have to slide down the hill, hoping against hope that you don't slip and break something. Fortunately, though, my father was willing to give me a lift this morning.
After Mass, I went into the parish club for a cup of tea and a catch-up with friends, one of whom said that I should have a game of chess with her son Ryan (who had brought a small travel-board). So we went to an adjacent table and sat down. I won the first round but, not having played Chess for some time, forgot to say ''check'', so according to my opponent, the victory didn't count. We then had another go, and I lost. Ryan got bored, and his younger brother replaced him, and I lost that game too - yes, Patricius the Great lost a Chess match to an 8 year old boy! Will I ever live it down? Although in all fairness, I didn't make up the rules as I went along...but that just may be the hubris of the defeated...
At around 2:00pm I decided to go into the Sacristy to read the Altar Missal. I didn't bother going home for lunch, because I didn't fancy facing the icy roads uphill to my house, there was only an hour go to before the Children's Crib service, and because I decided that I had eaten too much yesterday (made doubly worse by the fact that it was a fast day). I read the pericopes for the three Masses of the Natvity. Presently, Fr Finigan came in with his camera and tripod and we had a brief chat about the history of the Altar Missal and Adrian Fortescue. By this time, the sound of children could be heard from the small hall. After clearing up, I went to help some of them get dressed into their outfits, which was amusing.
The Children's Crib service was, in all honesty, one of the most adorable things I have ever seen. The entrance ''procession'' was accompanied by carols, Mary and Joseph sitting in a pew towards the back of the Church, and the shepherds, angels and the four Kings, adding one eager boy to the traditional three of the Scriptures (who spent a great deal of the service chasing one of the shepherds around the choir), going to stand in the choir (the Kings to sit at the Sedilia). After a series of readings and prayers, and more carols, Joseph and Mary came to the front and were presented with a baby girl, (Jesus) and we all sang Away in a Manger. After this, Joseph read more prayers and Fr Finigan gave a short speech. I greatly enjoyed myself! I think the mere fact of youth is so wonderful, and I love children (this is probably why I have adopted a somewhat avuncular attitude to some of them). Whenever I see them, I am reminded of that wonderful remonstrance of Our Lord to the Apostles when the people brought their children to him to be blessed. ''Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter into it. And embracing them and laying his hands upon them, he blessed them.'' (Mark 10:14-16).
Fr Finigan has photos of the Crib Service up already, and Mac was there taking photos too...
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