They say that curiosity killed the cat, but I wonder why a young man stepped up on the altar during mass at the Shrine of St. Anne on Sunday, December 4, 2022. As I sat waiting for mass to begin, I noticed a young man in shorts and a white jersey enter a pew. His brown hair was pulled back in a pony tail and he had a goatee and mustache. The back of the jersey had MARTINEZ with a large 58 number. My first thought, because he sort of looked out of place, was about mass shootings. He carried a bag with a handle and I wondered if there could be a gun in the bag.
Mass began and I stopped my bizarre thinking until I looked up at the altar as the priest was about to begin the Consecration. The young man was on the altar and the priest was talking to him. It looked like a friendly exchange with the priest smiling. The priest put his head near the young man's head and I wondered if he was hearing his confession. For three or four minutes they talked and then embraced. The young man returned to his seat. What was that all about, I wondered.
During the Consecration, the young man once again walked up to the altar and I heard the priest say, "Not yet, go back to your seat." The young man continued to the altar and this time the priest firmly said, "Return to your seat!" The young man returned to his pew and it looked as if he was crying. He held up a silver bar, looked up and appeared to be praying. I could not tell what it was he was holding up and thought it might have been a small flute. The choir's piano player, observing the young man's tears, got up, grabbed a bunch of tissues and handed them to the young man.
The man received communion and I, lost in my own prayers, did not see the young man or what he was doing. I did see an older man with a white beard and long silver hair tied back in a ponytail, get up and go to the young man. He whispered something to him, and the young man stood up and hugged the man. When I saw the kind gesture of a stranger to someone who obviously was hurting, brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes.
Mass ended and I knew I would never know what, or why, had gone on during mass. Yet, I felt something special had happened and it made me feel good. I hoped the young man felt peace and acceptance in his life.
Leaving mass, I met a friend and we went to Old Town Arvada to see the Christmas decorations and the German huts where items were being sold. There I saw the young man again and I wanted to go up and talk to him, but I hesitated. What had happened at mass was private and none of my business. At the tea hut, with many different types of drinks, I saw him purchase a can and with that I walked away, ending my curiosity.
"Keep your attention focused entirely
on what is truly your own concern, and
be clear that what belongs to others
is their business and none of yours."
Epictetus
With all the many incidents of that have occured, it is hard not to be suspicious of those that seem different. But they may just be reaching out for help.
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