Monday, February 14, 2005
(10:36 AM) | Adam Kotsko:
Valentine's Day Tribute
On Saturday, I went to mass at the cathedral downtown, kind of to see if things could still work out between me and God. Anthony went with me, which turned out to be a great idea because the CTA route planner web site doesn't have an option for "Don't fucking drop me off on a corner with three liquor stores, broken liquor bottles all around the bus stop, and guys with white around their lips from smoking crack" (that last observation was contributed by Anthony). In any case, the priest was pretty over the top. Apparently it's a tradition "here at Holy Name Cathedral" (a phrase he used more often than "Amen") to honor all married couples the Saturday before Valentine's Day. He had everyone stand up, based on how long they'd been married -- there was one couple there who had been married sixty years. Very impressive. They renewed their vows, and then the awkwardness was over -- we went back to having mass rather than an idiotic circus.After mass, Anthony remarked that the marriage stuff was a little overdone. I suggested that we should have stood up at one point and pretended to be a couple. I had already remained silent when the intercessions included the fervent hope that government leaders would have the wisdom to protect the sanctity and integrity of family life -- maybe I should just be Episcopalian.
