Pange, lingua, gloriosi corporis mysterium

Yesterday I went to Incarnation, where I spent three years as a parishioner and where Justin and I were married. It was great to see everyone again--or nearly everyone; anyway, I answered the same questions a dozen times, but I also hugged a bunch of people, and the sign of peace at a church where you know lots of people is nice when you've been away from your husband for a week. (sigh) I sang with the 11:30 choir, and the music included The Name of God, which I think is my favorite psalm setting (not the one we used for our wedding, though it probably wouldn't have been as appropriate for a mixed gathering at a wedding anyway) and other songs suitable for the feast of Corpus Christi.

Three years ago, I spent my first Corpus Christi as a Catholic in Ravenna, and I was smugly proud with myself (didn't have anyone else to brag to) that I knew it was Corpus Christi because I understood the gospel reading (John 6) and the homily with my limited knowledge of Italian. This year, at Incarnation, I participated in the procession of the Blessed Sacrament around the church and into the chapel dedicated to it, and sang Thomas Aquinas' Pange Lingua along with the rest of the choir. I love the arrangement we use, which has a beautiful descant Peggy sang--on the third verse I think there's an alto part too, which I'd like to learn someday.

Since the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is one of those crazy but sublime paradoxes that drew me to Catholicism, I like the feast of Corpus Christi almost as much as Holy Thursday, when we also sing Pange Lingua, and wash one another's feet. I had tears in my eyes when I was going through RCIA and we celebrated Holy Thursday, because I started out washing other people's feet, but then other people took over, and I saw the Campbells, who've been married at least thirty years, wash one another's feet. Justin is a little squeamish about the idea (not about feet per se) but I'm looking forward to washing his feet one of these years. But now I'm getting off topic. Oh well.

Four days in Charlottesville

I'm staying with Chris and Heidi and mostly hanging out here, watching TV, eating junk food (it's so bad for you, but so good--I'm making up for ten months of a diet of crunchy organic fiber-rich everything), and of course getting to know eleven-month-old Madeline as honorary aunt. She took to me quickly. A baby likes me. I am cool.

Went to graduation (which apparently is called Finals? UVA has to call everything differently, like Grounds for campus and first-years for freshmen): the big ceremony on the Lawn, where I couldn't see anything anyway, so got a glimpse of the procession, grabbed a Frappucino at Starbucks on the Corner (mobbed), and sat in the Pav X garden, where I could hear the ceremony; then the religious studies ceremony, where I couldn't really see anyone because my contacts were swimming from tiredness. But I did see Andrea, and Mat Rose, and Don Polaski, which was enough to make me happy before I decided I was tired and there wasn't much point in being someplace where I might offend someone by not recognizing them at close distance.

The weather's been kind of snotty. When I called Justin a few days ago he said quite melodramatically that it was 90 degrees in Berkeley, which I doubt, because it rarely is, especially in May, but evidently it's decided to be extremely pleasant now that I'm not there.

Justin is getting along fine. Only ordered pizza once so far.

On my way to Charlottesville...

I haven't been back since we moved right after the wedding. I'm excited to see Andrea graduate in her cool hat, and to see Chris and Heidi's daughter Maddie, who is almost eleven months old and sounds like a very happy baby. Yay!

I'll be away from Justin for a week and a half, which is sad, but we're used to separation, and after nearly a year of being around each other almost constantly, a break probably won't hurt us.

Angel Island

Andrea and Laura have already written about our trip to Angel Island yesterday. We all had a blast. I love to get out into something resembling wilderness, even if it's wilderness with a view of San Francisco a few miles across the bay.



More pictures here.