The Catholic Church
Almost twenty years ago, I spent a spring college quarter in France. I vividly remember an Easter Mass I attended at the famous Notre Dame, a service complete with priests bedecked in their finest official robes, chanting in Latin, blessing the crowds with words and sweet-smelling incense. I could only be a spectator of sorts since my being a non-Catholic kept me from taking communion or from participating in the rituals of prayer and response. Despite these limitations, I felt completely captivated by the energy of the church, the sacredness of the space, and by the community created amongst this group of people.
Earlier still in my life, when I spent my high school junior year abroad in Costa Rica, I recall attending Mass with my host mother. I don't know that I had ever seen such adoration for Christ before then. Lighting candles for blessings, praying fervently, holding Rosaries with firm faith; these were the actions that were as important to my host mother as was eating and sleeping. The phrases "Gracias a Dios" (Thanks be to God) and "Que Dios les bendiga" (May God bless you ) were some of the first Spanish phrases I learned that year. Being so far from home, I was comforted knowing that no matter where I was in the world, the Mass schedule being followed in Costa Rica was the same one as in Paris, France, or my hometown of Lancaster, Ohio. What a feeling of global connectedness!
Enamored with and captivated by the Catholic tradition and faith of the people, you would think that I would have signed up for RCIA (Right of Christian Initiation for Adults-- classes to enable non-Catholics to convert) as soon as I became engaged to a Catholic. Well, I didn't. While I saw the beautiful side of the Catholic faith, I also saw the ugly side: the scandal of abuse of young boys by pedophile priests, the anti-contraception stance for women, the exclusion of people from other faiths during communion. I couldn't reconcile the glory with the stain and thus, I stayed a Methodist for the time being.
If you have read my earlier posts, you know that we are trying to live authentically and find a place of organized religion which would be a community for our family. We decided to attend a Catholic Mass today. This wasn't our first service at our local Catholic Church-- we have accompanied my husband Bill a few random times; this morning was different in that I really wanted to experience and consider if this beautiful church could be a long-term choice and not just a diversion from our normal routine.
What did I feel today? Relief; we were surrounded by so many families and so many children, such a vibrant community. People attended in jeans/casual clothing, and the focus seemed less on wearing the latest fashions and more on being present in the church. The music was beautiful; a talented group of men and women sang short responses before and after the priest spoke or a passage from the Bible was read. The message today on this 2nd Sunday of Lent was one that we all could relate to: sometimes we have moments up on the mountain that are glorious and feel divinely-inspired, but we have to come back down from that mountain-- we have such lows as well. And, the unifying message was that God will be there the entire time.
Ryan and I wandered around the church for awhile-- he had restless legs, and I had a curious mind. What would we find? We found framed, panoramic pictures of children celebrating first Communions, RCIA graduates, mission abroad pictures. As we walked around, we were invited to "Taco Tuesday" to help support the youth and were encouraged to attend a Fish Fry next Friday. After Mass let out and we reunited with the rest of our family, we were approached by one of the men leading service. He came up to us and said, " I don't believe I know you; Hi, I am Deacon Jim." Hands were shaken, names were exchanged, and we felt very welcomed. In fact, five-year-old Ryan decided he hadn't shared enough about himself and re-approached the Deacon and shared, "my whole name is Ryan Patrick McAllister."
I am encouraged, and we will return next week. I read in a book recently that we have to live "life in the contradictions." No faith, no religion, no church is perfect and we don't have to wholly accept or reject any certain one. What we can do is find what we like and celebrate that aspect. In turn, I can identify what I don't like and see what progress the Church has made and see if the current atmosphere is one which is accepting/open enough for me and my family. Will we all convert and become Catholic? That decision is quite a few steps away in the future. What is comforting for now is at this stage of the journey, we had a lovely morning filled with kind messages, beautiful music, and welcoming interactions..... and those were sufficient enough for today.
