Okay, one more.

Waiting for a friend I hadn't seen since traveling in Italy in 2007, I stumbled into Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. The Church was rebuilt after the Chicago fire in the 1800's and this past February, there was another fire that destroyed parts of the roof. She was taking a long time and people were filtering in for mass, so I figured- I have a marathon tomorrow, why not?

During the homily, the priest began talking about holy life in terms of a marathon. You don't just wake up and decide to run, you dedicate yourself over a period of time. During certain miles, you are going to hurt like hell and be all alone with your mp3 player, but God will be there to carry you through. God is preparing your heart for something much like you have been preparing your body.

So.. he calls all of those planning to run the marathon in the morning up to the sanctuary. He was expecting 20-25. Nearly half of the packed cathedral got up, flooding the sanctuary. He had planned to give Holy Cards out to each of us, but ran out. "Um, this isn't Holy Communion. We Can't break these cards in half," the usher chuckled. Think loaves and fishes! I wanted to respond.

I was amazed to see the number of runners in church. I'm talking attractive runners. The mass I stumbled upon definitely helped prepare me for the marathon.