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For older Catholics the term "first Friday" has a peculiar flavor. Because Friday signifies the day on which Jesus was crucified, the first Friday of each month became a time to receive special indulgences for attending Mass. (An indulgence is "a remission of the punishment which is still due to sin after sacramental absolution," The Manual of the Holy Catholic Church, 1906.) We had Mass this morning, but I weren't thinking about no indulgences. Comments in our homily got me thinking about St. Bernard (today's feast) and Brother Bernie. Never met the saint, but Brother Bernie lived right across the hall from me when I lived in Washington. He was a tiny little stooped over fellow who clomped around the house with big heavy shoes and tinkered with everything, sometimes with unfortunate results. He had a wonderful deep working class UK voice (a bit of Cockney maybe). He had a lot of odd, colorful ways and expressions. We like to tell stories about him. we like to laugh at some of his misadventures (like the day his desk went out the third floor window piece by piece). We say he was a simple man with a simple faith. This is almost certainly untrue. I always suspected him of a rather complex, even baroque, inner life. I wish poetry or some form of writing had been one of his options. But Brother Bernie would have known and cared about first Fridays, maybe. Today, however, was not that kind of first Friday; we're nearly at the end of August. Today was instead the first Friday of the school year, a day that carries its own special indulgences. Well, sure, we didn't really have a full week of school, but Friday's sense of release and relief is no less sweet for that. Another blessing of this first Friday is the way it sets off the weekend. Summer vacation is nice, is wonderful, but weekends lose their pungent difference from the other days. Now we've got it back. This afternoon I listened in while the Dean, Mr. Nolan, explained the rules to the freshman boys. Here at Carmel it seems that last Fridays arrive with special blessings in the form of a casual dress day. Blue jeans, athletic shoes, t-shirts, shorts and sandals (with socks), metallic earlobes, and untucked shirts are all welcome on that day. In the morning I'm off to Joliet for two days of various celebrations. |
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Washington Irving |