An irate customer called the newspaper offices and loudly demanded to know where her Sunday newspaper was. “Ma’am,” said the employee, “today is Saturday. The Sunday paper is not delivered ‘til Sunday.” There was quite a pause on the other end of the phone, followed by a ray of confusion, when the elderly woman said, “So that’s why no one was in church today.”
Being Labor Day weekend, there will be no one in church today either. For some, of course, they don’t need “gone for the holiday!” as an excuse. They never seem to find a seat to worship with us. But, we keep working at it—gently inviting and freely witnessing to the joy that we experience from coming together each weekend. New school years can be like New Years—resolutions and all—so maybe September will attract a few new faces, especially if our children are learning the importance of the third commandment in their religion classes. It’s always rather touching to hear a child ask, in the sacrament of reconciliation, “Is it a sin to not go to church on Sunday when my parents don’t take me?”
