“The familiar prayers soothe. They aren’t about feeling. They’re about ritual. I know the words. I know when to sit, stand, and kneel, and when to hang back in my seat while the real Catholics line up for their crackers—the body of Christ.”
I come from a large catholic family- my mom is one of seven- although she baptized my brother and I when we were babies, we did not go to church except on the big holidays, weddings, or when my mom was feeling guilty or my grandma guilted her into taking us I suspect. I think she was over it and my dad is not catholic. But oh man!! That quote is exactly my experience even to this day!!
At 45 I still have one grandpa left. A catholic who goes to mass every morning at 6:30. Even though I don’t consider myself a Christian, I love this fact about him. He’s done it his whole life. I think about my grandparents all the time. I was very close to all of them. I miss them and they haven’t been gone long. I’m going to call my grandpa today ♥️
I think God wants us all to stay curious. More than He wants us to go to church. More than He wants us to read the Bible. That’s my belief, anyway.
And those questions you asked yourself in the middle of the night - the same sorts of ones float to me, too. It’s hard and sticky writing about our experiences with our people. And then letting others, who don’t know our people, read our words. It pushes up against something inside. Keep doing it, though. Because imagine if all writers censored their stories/ held back for the sake of others. God wouldn’t want that 😉
“The familiar prayers soothe. They aren’t about feeling. They’re about ritual. I know the words. I know when to sit, stand, and kneel, and when to hang back in my seat while the real Catholics line up for their crackers—the body of Christ.”
I come from a large catholic family- my mom is one of seven- although she baptized my brother and I when we were babies, we did not go to church except on the big holidays, weddings, or when my mom was feeling guilty or my grandma guilted her into taking us I suspect. I think she was over it and my dad is not catholic. But oh man!! That quote is exactly my experience even to this day!!
At 45 I still have one grandpa left. A catholic who goes to mass every morning at 6:30. Even though I don’t consider myself a Christian, I love this fact about him. He’s done it his whole life. I think about my grandparents all the time. I was very close to all of them. I miss them and they haven’t been gone long. I’m going to call my grandpa today ♥️
I think God wants us all to stay curious. More than He wants us to go to church. More than He wants us to read the Bible. That’s my belief, anyway.
And those questions you asked yourself in the middle of the night - the same sorts of ones float to me, too. It’s hard and sticky writing about our experiences with our people. And then letting others, who don’t know our people, read our words. It pushes up against something inside. Keep doing it, though. Because imagine if all writers censored their stories/ held back for the sake of others. God wouldn’t want that 😉