When the Homily is about Immunology

Flying Home

Vegas Post #4

A few brief reflections on the last couple of days...

Well, we have made our recommendation for the Holy Synod to consider Bishop BENJAMIN. It was a wonderful service at St. Paul's in Vegas - feasibly the largest Parish I have ever attended a liturgy in. With 50 priests in attendance and a host of readers, choir members and directors, the music was stunning to me. Bishop SERAPHIM of Canada presided and at his entrance the music was especially fantastic, in my little mind one can truly see how that ancient Russian delegation to Constantinople reported back that they were unable to tell if they were on earth or in heaven.

It was lovely and I had a chance afterwards to say hello to Fr. Joseph Hirsch, who during my schooling at Regis University played a pivotal role in my becoming Orthodox. Afterwards a host of us headed out to grab a bit of animal flesh to eat (it is a fast free week after all) and we got some drinks and toasted Bishop BENJAMIN - how often does one get to have a drink with an Archimandrite. The entire affair had a very upbeat and joyful feel to it.

I've spent more social time with clergy in the last few days than I have likely done in all my previous life. Fact is, they are pretty normal human beings - even the bishops. (Well...most of them.) Fr. Christopher, Fr. Dn. Mark, and I had numerous misadventures and spent a good deal of time laughing with and at one another. To any of my California readers, if you still are with me here, we nearly paid you a visit by accident.

A couple of intriguing things I learned: Alex Rodriguez..."A-Rod" has become an Orthodox Christian and I'm told he is quite devout. Fr. Jonah and his monks brew beer and make wine, he tells me they have a great IPA.

Now I wish to investigate a profound mystery of Art Bellian proportions. One very prominent Northwest priest arrived slightly late for the diocesan election and then left – we presume - immediately after it was over. Nobody saw the means by which he arrived and nobody saw the means by which he left. Many are suggesting, unless one can provide evidence to the contrary (i.e. an airline receipt) that we may have been witness to some Ephremite teleportation going on here. Throughout our very long commute home (Fr. Christopher and I arrived home around 4 am) we oft noted with hints of jealously the number of hours that this good priest had already been home.

One last jab at Vegas. We went to dinner at a place that happened to be inside a mall. However, the mall was not content to be a mall, but rather tried to style itself as an outdoor village market complete with rain, thunder and lightning (on the hour M-Th). That pretty much sums up the whole place - most everything is one big plaster façade where people can escape reality, which is one of our favorite pastimes .