Friday

It's 4:42 in the morning. I got up at 4am so that any coughing that needed doing, could be done and over with by 6:15 Mass. Coughing during the silence is so disruptive that I've stayed away, so as to not disturb everyone else in the church. But, Oh, do I miss morning mass. This morning I'm going to mass and there are no two ways about it.

There is something wonderful about these pre-dawn hours. The silence is complete, and with no one else awake, the silence can be kept. The Vigil psalms are some of the best each day. For the sake of clarity I should say that waking early has always been the way for me. It's not some heroic effort to get up early and pray, it's just what is already in place in my life. Filling the time before sunrise with prayer is a blessing. Some people think it's special that I get up so early, but I think it's just the way my body is made. The only place choice comes into it, is the choice to pray.