I provided transportation for a relative to a NO service tonight. I sat in the pew and observed the following:
Closing the 5:30pm NO service at St. John Berchmans Cathedral, Shreveport, LA, tonight, a rollicking rendition of the hit country song “Christmas Shoes” sung by the presider to close out his homily—
“Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please,
It’s Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size,
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there’s not much time,
You see she’s been sick for quite a while,
And I know these shoes would make her smile,
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight…”
I couldn’t help but notice that the honky-tonk, clankity clank sounds of the upright piano—yes, the presider accompanied himself RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE PIANO IN THE SANCTUARY—were hauntingly reminiscent of another hit song of not long ago, “Walking in Memphis,” by Marc Cohn. What a treat!