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| Waiting in Comfort for Apple |
Lines, I have never liked standing in lines. There are lines in the grocery store,
the bank, at the movies and lines in the Army.
Recently Apple debuted the new iPad and the lines were
spectacular! People camped out for
days in front of Apple Stores and waited for the latest and greatest that Apple
had to offer. Don’t get me wrong,
I love Apple products; I even ordered the new iPad online and had it delivered
to my sister’s house so that it will be waiting for me when I return to the
States. No line for me!
So this past weekend we went to Esquipulas, Guatemala to see
the Black Christ in the Basilica there.
We went with friends from the marina. What do you think we encountered… Lines! It was the most amazing thing that I
have seen in a long time.
Of course it is the Lenten Season and most Catholics are
busy preparing their souls for Easter.
It is a time of reflection on the suffering and death of our Lord. To my way of thinking the Catholics of
Guatemala are doing it right. Not
only do they make pilgrimage during Lent, it is all year round. When the buses leave Esquipulas they
decorate them with colorful brush ropes that make it clear to all that they are
from Esquipulas, home of the Black Christ.
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| A Portion of the Line |
The wait to see the Black Christ up close was over 3
hours! You have a chance to be up
close and personal, a chance to leave a fetcha, or milagro that asks for
healing or forgiveness. You walk
out backwards so as never to turn you back on the crucified Christ.
Busloads of Latin Americans travel to ask prayers at the
feet of the Black Christ.
They wait in line patiently, entire families: small children and babies
on their backs without much more than a bottle of water and perhaps some
tortillas. No camp chairs and
sleeping bags for them!
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| The Basilica |
On the day we arrived we saw the line and were convinced we
couldn’t wait. We went in and
looked from afar near the foot of the Alter. We participated in part of the Misa or Mass and shopped in
the Gift Shop. We discussed our
next plan of attack. We figured
that we only had one more chance to get a photo. That would be before Mass in the morning. The first Mass was at 06:30. Orin, Cynthia and myself decided that
we would get up and leave the hotel by 05:45 so that we would be there before
Mass.
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| The Black Christ |
We met in the dark hotel lobby and when we emerged into the
dawn we found that there was no transportation. So we walked to the Basilica. Imagine our surprise when the line was three times as long! We entered the Basilica and it was full
to capacity with people filling the aisles. We were able to get closer, but not close enough for a
photo. We said our prayers and
turned to leave. Again we found no
transportation so we began the walk back, only this time it was up hill and Cynthia
was the only one with good knees.
Orin and I were crippled, but determined. I admit that I wimped out about 500 meters from the hotel
and caught the first tuk tuk that I saw.
It was worth the 4Q or fifty-one cents!
So by now I am sure you are wondering what lines, Apple
products and the Black Christ have in common. Our lives are full of lines. We decide which lines we will stand in and wait.
I certainly
wasn’t willing to stand in a line for a new iPad, though I only circumvented
that by ordering online. In effect
I stood in a virtual line. When
faced with the decision to stand in a real line to spend a few minutes in front
of the crucified Christ I looked for ways to make it easy. Instead, like most of the Apostles I
stood at the bottom or not at all.
I was not a Mary or a John.
I was more like Peter and the rest. Standing on the side peering over the heads of others,
hidden by the crowd.
Yes, we choose and based on those choices we are judged.
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