The Love Boat
A PARABLE ABOUT CATHOLICS IN AMERICA
Once upon a time there was a couple who fell in love with the Love Boat. Through many years of a long marriage they dreamed of the day they would be able to take a cruise on a luxury liner. They read travel brochures and magazines. They listened eagerly to stories told by others who had already made the cruise.
But for most of their married life they were a long way from being able to afford it. They had children to raise, a mortgage to pay. So they pinched pennies. They made do with a minimum of movies, restaurants, vacations; they abstained from smoking; they drank cheap beer. They were to experience the delights of a luxury cruise before they died.
The great day finally arrived. The kids had grown up and moved away, the mortgage was paid off. At long last our couple was ready to enjoy the good life. So they paid their fares and boarded the ship, and it was everything they hoped for.
At least it was for the first few days of the voyage. The ship sprung a leak, a slow but dangerous leak, and a number of passengers in the lower decks drowned.
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When the Mass was translated into English, I noticed right away how often it says “Peace”: it’s repeated over and over again, like a heartbeat, clear through.
The rubrics, gestures, and symbols that are employed serve a fundamental and very useful purpose: they reveal and give witness to the faith we profess.