Parousians at Play

In a world of productivity slaves, where time is money and money is god, the human being still finds time for the ‘unnecessary,’ that is, play. What I mean by play is more than kicking a ball, but rather a range of activities from dancing to writing to contemplating higher realities via philosophy. And what I mean by ‘unnecessary’ is that we are not constrained to do these things. Never reading a book will not kill you as never consuming nutritive substances for your body would. Despite our actual need for a break from work, play is still not a necessary option because doing nothing is still good for catching your breath, so you can return to your labors. However, what if play involved losing your breath? Why expend energy on an activity that will not benefit your survival? The simplest answer avails itself; yes, the obvious answer you were thinking: because we enjoy it. There is an obvious pleasure obtained in dancing or singing, but there is also a certain enjoyment that comes from knowing. We exercise the uniqueness of our existence, we “respond to a reality that is”¹ and celebrate its existence that we did not make, and we make this world a little less serious when we play.

When we play, we respond to a reality we did not create. We celebrate our existence, which is unnecessary. The universe is not necessary for anything else except itself, and neither are we; we exist as ends in ourselves because of God’s infinite love. Thus, play becomes another way of participation in God’s inner life. Contemplating God, the higher reality, makes us aware of our limitations and finiteness. However, it also makes us aware of God’s existence giving meaning to ours. We realize the true “tranquility of order” of the world in relation to God, which helps us prevent ourselves from thinking our affairs are the most ‘serious’ of all.

Ultimately, how does this tie into the Parousians at Play? Essentially, every Parousian meeting is an act of play as we delve into the mysteries of higher things. We nonetheless try not to take ourselves too seriously. The Parousians do more than sit around and discuss the ‘higher things.’ For the Parousians, “sharing is caring,” and this may include discussions of some ‘lower things’ like which Ninja Turtle really is the coolest, playing with the baby crab in Toby’s raw oysters at the Chimes, and even: if one asks a Serrano’s waitress enough if they carry Abita Amber, will she eventually say yes after so many no’s? We like jeering, jesting, and joking, peering, pesting, and poking as much as we enjoy rhyming and alliteration. To top it all off, we (most likely Ryan) may even choose to chant his chafflike charge while chewing chestnuts and doing the cha-cha.

Outside of the Parousian’s normal merriment, the group has also expressed their mirth at other events such as the Pope Benedict Party at the Black Forest restaurant back in April. And who could forget the roast of Caleb Bernacchio in September at Le Grand Fromage & Tubby’s Pub? I’m not sure if I saw Caleb today if his cheeks would no longer be red. In November a small group of us traversed over – well, not so rocky or dangerous – lands to the mystifying – quite mystifying actually – Renaissance Festival in Houston, Texas. Why Gandalf, Darth Vader, a stormtrooper, Captain Jack Sparrow, vikings, and fairies roamed these mysterious grounds still puzzles us. (We made up for it by attending a beautiful Anglican use Mass.) With the starting up of another Parousian group in Gainesville, six of us fought our way through the swamp to The Swamp (a restaurant) to help the fledgling group get on their feet, ultimately praying a Rosary with them in the student section of the Swamp (UF’s stadium.) Of course, no trip to Florida would be complete without Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, or attending daily Mass at different – and distanced – Catholic Churches each time. As always throughout the year, we are finding ways to enjoy each other’s company, whether it be dinner at the Chimes, a movie night, or maybe even some Latin dancing.

The Parousians have evolved from a small gathering of people in search of truth to a much more expansive and diverse group sharing that same end in mind. We recognize the need in the world for doing something because the thing itself is important. We contemplate higher things. We recognize our limitations but rejoice in our meaning. We thank God for our being unnecessary yet existing nonetheless. We share in his inner life when we imitate his understanding and love of the unnecessary. We play, and we are joyful. We are.

¹ – Father James Schall, On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs