Class Mass

I was very early to the Chapel of the Good Samaritan that morning. I needed five minutes of solitude in the church to jumpstart my day. As I settled down for a moment of meditation, shrill voice broke into my thoughts. “Don’t you have class Mass today?”
I checked my watch, 6.20am, 18th October, 2018. Indeed, I did have class Mass and I had almost forgotten! A moment later, I was settled in the Chapel at the Jesuit Residence with the rest of the class, SS 2C. This time, I did not need to have been earlier than everyone else to catch five minutes of meaningful meditation. I was surrounded by people all right, but I was also surrounded reverent silence. My classmates could also sense the sanctity of the room and the activity we were about to begin. Apart from those who were preparing for the Mass, we were all quiet.
The priest, Fr. Peter Chidolue, SJ, told us to go outside the chapel when he arrived. He asked us to reconcile with those we had disagreements with amongst ourselves, remembering Jesus teachings to only come before the altar to offer our gifts, after we have reconciled with all those who we had a fall-out with.
During the Mass, as is the custom, we carried out a faith-sharing exercise. Of course, I cannot reveal what transpired in there, but one thing I realise from what was said is that to succeed individually and as a class, we must learn to love one another unconditionally and synergize to achieve our common goals.
At the end of the Mass, we stacked up and returned the hymn books we used to their shelves. I knew that what I had shared with my class was deep and that I should never forget it. My last thought as I stepped out of the comfortingly cool Chapel was that the twenty-six of us had just strengthen the bond between us.
Mezisashe, OJUBA. Class of 2020