Last night, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the midnight mass at the Church of St. Catherine (the Roman Catholic section of the Church of the Nativity). After winning a lottery within the Consulate to attend, eight lucky souls loaded up in fully armored vehicles and headed to Bethlehem.
The relatively small church (much smaller than the Basilica in St. Paul) was packed to the gills. We had standing-room-only seats for the two-hour mass. Every pew was full - mostly with VIPs including the President and Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority and our own Consul General - and the floor space was taken crowded with people standing, sitting, and a few sleeping. One woman even sat in the confessional and fell asleep! Despite the solemn Latin mass, the crowd constantly whispered, chatted, and tried to sing along where possible.
The mass itself was pretty boring as typical masses are. However, there were parts that were absolutely inspiring. First, I could identify the Our Father prayer in Latin! (A bit silly and boastful, but I was very proud of myself.) The prayer was even sung, and I knew it!
Second, the "Peace be with you." The church was filled with people of every age and every ethnicity. I turned to a German, a Hispanic man, an African woman, an Arab family, a Bangladeshi man, a little Indian girl, and two other Americans and said "Peace be with you." It was so cool! Given peace is our main objective here at the Consulate, the simple act of saying "Peace be with you" to everyone in the church was just amazing. One part of the mass was translated into at least eight languages - including Hebrew - so wishing everyone peace in such a tumultuous place was - I can't describe it accurately.
Third, the church went quiet during communion while people gently pushed their ways to the priests scattered throughout the church. Then, the crowd broke out in Silent Night. It was in Latin, but everyone knew the melody and either sang along or hummed. I could not stop smiling at that point. I was in awe of how special the event was.
I could not have gone but for three things: (1) the Consulate brought me; (2) the kind, generous, and earnest men of the security detail (who had families they left to take us to the event); and last but not least, (3) my snazzy husband who stayed home with the boys and waited up for me. Without those things, I could not have enjoyed the event. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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