Christmas and Easter Cicadas
by Thomas Walsh
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| A Christmas Cicada: note the red bulb eyes |
Similarly, this is the semi-annual season for the emergence of that strange class of Christians - Catholic and Protestant alike - known as C&E’ers. Twice each year – Christmas and Easter – they invade Churches everywhere for a single service then vanish back to the golf greens and shopping malls from whence they came.
Many of the alleged Catholic breed of C&E’ers will also walk into a confessional while the majority will see no need to do so. Those who do will expect to hear “Jesus loves you” and get their one Hail Mary penance regardless of what was confessed. Anything more than that would likely offend and upset them. Afterwards, they will scurry to a pew closest to the exit door, then ask each other how to recite the prayer.
Aglow once again with holiness and piety they sashay up to the front, waving to their friends on the way, to claim their wafer. Then back to their cars and, like the cicadas, not to be seen again inside a church until they re-emerge at the next seasonal cycle.
Cynical? Untrue? Sadly, no. Exaggeration? Only slightly, if at all. Are those of us who never miss Mass on Sundays and Holy Days better than the C&E’ers? Are we better than them because we frequent Confession and believe in the Real Presence? The best we can say is that, on paper, our odds of Heaven are certainly better but of course no one is ever guaranteed salvation. It needs to be merited every hour of every day.
An excellent way of increasing our chance of Heaven is by increasing others’ chances, too. Don’t shake your head or roll your eyes when the swarm flies through the vestibule doors of your church. Rather, be friendly and introduce yourself, immediately if they sit next to you, or afterwards if they don’t. God may be trying to work through you to help save them. He may also have put them in just that place at just that time to give you a chance to “earn your wings”.
May the Lord bless you and yours this Christmas Season.
Aglow once again with holiness and piety they sashay up to the front, waving to their friends on the way, to claim their wafer. Then back to their cars and, like the cicadas, not to be seen again inside a church until they re-emerge at the next seasonal cycle.
Cynical? Untrue? Sadly, no. Exaggeration? Only slightly, if at all. Are those of us who never miss Mass on Sundays and Holy Days better than the C&E’ers? Are we better than them because we frequent Confession and believe in the Real Presence? The best we can say is that, on paper, our odds of Heaven are certainly better but of course no one is ever guaranteed salvation. It needs to be merited every hour of every day.
An excellent way of increasing our chance of Heaven is by increasing others’ chances, too. Don’t shake your head or roll your eyes when the swarm flies through the vestibule doors of your church. Rather, be friendly and introduce yourself, immediately if they sit next to you, or afterwards if they don’t. God may be trying to work through you to help save them. He may also have put them in just that place at just that time to give you a chance to “earn your wings”.
May the Lord bless you and yours this Christmas Season.
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