This morning I went to mass, which is an event reserved to a few days during the year.
To view again the interior of the Cathedral of Lima dating back to 1540 its construction and terminating in 1622, I decided to attend mass as mentioned since the main Cathedral is closed the rest of the week. It was quite an event I must tell you, similar in elaboration and preparation to a rock concert.
I made myself as comfortable as can be on the ancient wooden pews, when the man next to me asked me if I had seen the Cardinal before. I suppose due to my casual vestiment he assumed I was only visiting.
I did not elaborate that I hardly go to mass, even in my vicinity, and I answered that I had not. He said, ´¨well you are going to meet him...The cardinal represents God.¨ I refrained from telling him that our cardinal Mahony is less than venerated in Los Angeles, particularly due to the sordid cover ups of known child molesters shuffled from church to church.
So the reflectors are turned on, and cameras too for this is televised mass, with the choir of the University Catolica in the background, and I was sitting on the front pew with my dirty sneakers which still disperse grains of sand where ever I walk.
A procession comes in sight, with eight choir boys, a priest and obviously the cardinal waving a soft white hand to the crowd as if he were in a parade.
I was a little let down, that I had not confessed my sins prior to mass. Thanks to my dirty mind, I missed receiving Holy communion directly from the cardinal of Lima himself.
Another thing that comes to mind is a little boy about seven years old who got on the bus by himself and sang a lovely heartfelt song about unrequitted love. This song he accompanied to a comb playing against an allunimun can with ridges. When he finished his song, he said please help me out, please don´t ignore me. It was heartbraking to see this kid out late in the evening with a dripping nose, trying to earn a few coins.
I wondered, at which point do most people become oblivious to disparities.
