Prison Mass

So folks, today I went to a Mass in a prison. I know some of you were praying for my safety and that things went well as far as the Mass itself was concerned, and for that, I really do thank you all! It's been a long and busy month, but there are certain things you make time for amidst hundreds of pages of reading, dozens of writing, and all the other fun schoolwork...this was definitely one of them.

It was a beautiful day outside. Low 80s, not a cloud in the sky. The Steelers were playing. It was for these three reasons that some of the people with me, normal volunteers who go all twelve months in a year, felt we'd have an especially low turnout; I can't blame them for being skeptical, these guys are giving up their free time of the day to come to Mass with us. That said, the other student in the group argued that we should set up even more chairs than usual, and since he and I did most of the lifting, the normal volunteers were happy to let us!

I'm really glad they did too. We had fifteen inmates show up. The Steelers were on TV in the common area of their pods and the weather was beautiful outside for recreation, but still people came and were happy to sacrifice their time to do so. I've never seen joy so uniformly displayed on people's faces at a Mass!

It's strange yet wonderful to see that. They were genuinely happy to be there, even though it was a true sacrifice for them in the form of their free time. I don't think I'm used to seeing such joy at the Mass, which is somewhat sad of itself. Also wonderful today was that we welcomed a catachuman! Even inside of a correctional facility, RCIA it seems, goes on.

All in all, it was a very humbling hour. I know that at one point, I was living Mass to Mass in my own depression; the only hour of the week I felt as if I was myself again and could escape my mental prison. I couldn't help thinking of that as I saw the earnest joy on these men's faces and in their demeanor, not to mention the sheer reverence. For an hour a month, there is no razor wire or possible threats from others, just fellow believers and Christ truly present in the Eucharist.