Take em' to church...

Week Three:Christmas Mass

I would like to preface this week’s installment with a brief statement. I currently have no religious affiliation. I realize religion is a complex issue with many passionate people firmly entrenched on all sides. I also understand that I have many friends, and potential readers, scattered across this spectrum; from passionately devout to agnostic and even those who are fervently anti-religion. Regardless of your beliefs, however, I hope you can approach this entry with an open mind. I am not trying to find religion in my own life and I am certainly not trying to affect anyone else’s beliefs.

A healthy respect for all religions is important in developing a compassionate understanding of the world as well as its people, conflicts and progress. Therefore, I like to take any available opportunity to learn about the fundamental principles of all belief systems. From Judaism to Islam and Hinduism to Buddhism, every religion has its own fascinating history and useful tenets we can all use to enrich our lives (except Scientology. That’s enough, Tom Cruise). However, it’s obvious that we live in a society that is most heavily influenced by the ideals and traditions of Christianity.

Regardless of your level of religious involvement, if you were born or raised in the United States or Canada, you most likely celebrate Christian holidays and adhere to Christian ideas of morality and character. With that thought in mind, I realized the only times I have ever been to any sort of religious service was for a wedding, a funeral or a christening. And, as previously stated, since I am not currently trying to find religion, I’ve never had any desire or reason to go to church otherwise. However, the idea of going to church on some random Sunday didn’t seem like a very interesting addition to my list. After all, I want all of these experiences to be interesting or entertaining in addition to merely being new.

Now, before I go any further, allow me to make something else perfectly clear. I love Christmas and everything associated with it. I love the music, the movies and the TV specials. I love shopping for gifts, I love wrapping gifts and I especially love receiving gifts. I love the decorations, the food and the cookies. I even love snow around Christmas time and anyone that knows me can tell you that’s saying a lot. Finally, at the risk of sounding corny, my favorite part of Christmas is the tradition and the time spent with family and friends. It’s a joyous time when everyone can gather and truly appreciate everything and everyone important in their lives. Of course, it can also be a very hectic and stressful time. But as long as you can keep things in perspective and take care of your business, Christmas is one of the most enjoyable times of the year.

Therefore, when I considered checking out a variety of religious services as part of my little adventure, it seemed obvious to attend midnight mass for Christmas. Now I realize Easter is considered the most important Christian holiday, but let’s be honest, you really can’t compete with the pomp and presentation of Christmas. Also, to make this experience even more meaningful, I decided to attend mass at the Our Lady of Victory Basilica, easily the most impressive church in Western New York (http://www.ourladyofvictory.org/).

Growing up in the West Seneca/South Buffalo area I am very familiar with OLV. After all, I know many other people raised in western New York received the same threat of being shipped off to Father Baker’s when they were growing up. Also, despite driving past this impressive structure countless times in my life I have never actually ventured inside to take in all of its architectural and artistic glory. Therefore, this week’s choice goes beyond celebrating Christmas by attending religious services. It is also very much about finally taking the opportunity to explore a local historical landmark.

Now, attending midnight mass on Christmas eve/day is a bit more challenging than it may seem. My usual exhaustive Christmas eve consists of cleaning, wrapping, eating, unwrapping, eating, playing with my many nieces and nephews, eating and finally crashing out sometime around 10pm. However, this year I had to stick it out a few extra hours so I could accomplish my goal. I know it doesn’t seem like much but trust me, it took some effort. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone on this trip as I was joined by my wonderful girlfriend Jackie and her mother Valerie. Unfortunately, however, Jackie was rather ill so it was a challenge keeping her awake and interested.

Expecting a very large crowd, we arrived at the basilica around 11:15 for the midnight mass. The church was already filling up but we were easily able to find seating. While we waited for mass to begin I took the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the place. I have noticed a trend among Roman Catholic churches in my recent attendance at weddings, funerals and christenings. It seems many are abandoning the classic gothic/renaissance style in favor of more contemporary designs. Vaulted ceilings, marble floors and stained glass windows have given way to Berber carpet, wood paneling and trendy light fixtures. Thankfully, however, OLV has been able to maintain its architectural integrity. When I walk into a church I want to be impressed by the power and grandeur of a higher being, not feel like I’m walking into a conference room for an afternoon sales meeting.

Besides the basilica’s incredible architectural design, it was beautifully decorated for the season. Poinsettias and vibrantly lit Christmas trees were scattered among the magnificent statues on the already impressive alter as a small orchestra played Christmas music on rear balcony. In addition, a realistically designed nativity scene was on display adjacent to the seating area. The mass began promptly at midnight but it was the usual combination of standing, sitting, standing, kneeling, praying, sitting, standing etc. The priest delivered a short but entertaining sermon about celebrating a “merry” Christmas as opposed to the “cranky” Christmas that is often the result of the stressful season. Besides his anecdote, however, the service was relatively standard and ended without any real excitement, though I’m not sure what I was expecting.

I would love to say my experience at Christmas mass had a profound effect on me but that is simply not the case. Just as any other time I’ve been to church I found myself bored, uncomfortable and waiting for it to end. I’m not sure if it’s going to take an intense fire and brimstone kind of sermon to really stoke some passion in me but I’ve only been exposed to the standard version and that’s not doing the trick. However, I realize I appreciate this church, as well as other classically designed churches, for its art, architecture and history. I’m sure I’ll continue to be fascinated by these aspects of various faiths but I don’t foresee myself practicing any religions in the near future. Maybe I wasted a week here realizing something I already knew, but at least next time I know to bypass the services in favor of the guided tour.