The Last Shall Be First

Today was the penance service at church. I hate being late, but this afternoon we were running out the door about five minutes before confessions started. When we passed the bank, it was one o' clock on the dot. When we arrived at the church parking lot, it was packed. Our parking spot was in the very top row. We ran into the church, a little windwhipped and breathless. I followed my dad along the back and up the side of the nave. Our priest was at the pulpit reading an act of contrition, so we just wanted to slip in the side. We genuflected at the first row, but the people standing there didn't budge. We quickly moved to the next row, but the people there wouldn't let us in either. Bewildered, I looked at all the people in the pews, but they wouldn't meet my eye. "Okay" I thought "we'll just stand along the back." It wasn't until I was against the wall that I noticed that people weren't just randomly standing at the end of the pews, they were in lines. They wouldn't let us in because they didn't want us to cut in line! I was outraged. I kept thinking how un-Christian they were. I couldn't even concentrate on a word Fr. Bill was saying. I stood leaning on the wall, with arms crossed, having a stare down with the crucifix. Who do these people think they are, Lord?...They probably only come to Church once a year...They better confess their rudeness! Eventually, I settled down into prayer. Father came to the front of the church to explain how the lines would work. It turned out that people had formed those lines on their own, and he had actually planned for everybody to stand along the walls. Suddenly, my spot, furthest from the front, against the back wall, was the front of the line! My eyes snapped to the people who were in the front row, shuffling along to join the lines of 50-60 people. When I was turned around, I noticed a family with three young boys coming through the door. I immediately let them take the place in line directly in front of me because they would be waiting hours otherwise. My wait was about ten minutes and as I left, I laughed and thanked God for all the lessons He's been teaching me this Advent.