For us, the thirty hour famine made for an excessively difficult Mass. I looked out at my choir, especially the seventh graders, who had just gone through 30 hours without food and apparently had not slept well. They looked like they were each in various stages of exhaustive collapse.
Emotions were running high, concentration was minimal, and for the youngest of us, there was little or no sound being produced as they struggled just to stand. Bravery is one thing, but perhaps in the future it would be best not to allow anyone to sing after not eating for 30 hours.
It is a great privilege and service to God for us to sing at this Mass, this glorious Vigil Mass that begins Holy Week. I do not remember the 30 hour famine occurring on the weekend before Palm Sunday before, so I will do a bit more research next year to try to prevent a repeat of this year. I feel responsible for putting them up there without thinking about what condition they might be in when they got there.
One solution could be to require 30 hour famine participants to sit out the Vigil Mass, but then the Youth Choir would not be able to sing adequately, and we would have to rely on a small group and pared-down anthems. Not always a bad thing, but disappointing, given the importance of this particular Mass.
In any case, I was proud of them. They wobbled, but did not fall down. They sang as best they could, and God was with us in each moment. Next Sunday is Easter. We sing at the 8 o'clock Mass and though they may be a bit sleepy, they will presumably not be hungry.
Life lessons again, for all of us. Deo Gratias.
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