Our parish priest today related the following anecdote about himself:
For Christmas, he had received a ticket to an "All-American Concert" with the Cleveland Orchestra.
Bernstein's On the Waterfront Suite,
Copland's Symphony #3, and the
Violin Concerto #3 by
Augusta Thomas.
So on the courtesy bus from the hotel to Severance Hall, Father X
is starting to discuss the works with another priest, who has not heard any of them ever before. Father X says that, to prepare himself, he found the
Thomas work on YouTube. A woman sitting in front of them overhears the conversation, turns, and asks: "What did you think of
Jugglers in Paradise ?
Father X: "Oh, it was one of these noisy modern things. It sounded like a bunch of First-Graders were given instruments and were told to bang and beat on them and destroy them."
She: "Didn't you like any of the violin melodies?"
Father X: "So you're acquainted with the work?"
She: "Oh yes!"
Father X: "Well, now and then maybe, but they were just all over the place most of the time, really hard to follow."
She: "Oh, okay. Well, maybe you'll change your opinion of it after today's performance."
Father X: "You seem to be a fan of the piece."
She: (winking) "I have to be. I'm
Augusta Thomas."
The congregation, of course, caught on where this was going well before he had caught on! He said that he was
50 Shades of Red and both feet and both hands were in his mouth.
Augusta Thomas took it very well, and said it was fine if he did not like it. He then politely asked about the premise, and she began to explain it, which he said was a little bit of a help. Father X thanked her for her patience with an unwilling listener, and she simply commented: "I'm just hoping
to roll away the rock."
In this case,
not from the tomb of Lazarus, but from the ears of the audience. And her comment explains why he used the anecdote in his sermon for today's Mass!
