Today's the 1st Sunday of Advent, and my 1st Advent mass ever! It was the "Mass that almost wasn't" due to a late start out of Tampa, but my wonderful boyfriend, and RCIA sponsor, took me to a church off of the Interstate that he was familiar with, and we made it in time for the Youth Mass! Going outside of my home parish was odd, because I've just gotten used to the way my church does mass. The homily was rather fitting, as it touched on staying vigilant and being open to how things will change. I also managed to do all the changes to the Liturgy fine, but I felt a connection watching the "Cradle Catholics" (as my RCIA Instructor calls them) be in the same position I've been dealing with for a long time, making the adjustment in what I've been used to for most of my life. The Advent Mass was beautiful, and I loved the priest's purple vestments and the lighting of the Advent Candle. I'm blessed that my guy is supportive enough to go the extra mile to make sure we make it to Mass every Sunday.
Warning, the following falls into Rant territory.
Last night I dealt with an uncomfortable situation. While visiting a friend, I mentioned my RCIA classes. During the conversation I mentioned that the in my RCIA class, they want to make sure that the Catechumens and Candidates are coming into the church for the right reasons- specifically the desire for an intimate friendship with Christ and to become part of Christ's Community. This friend essentially stated "Well that's funny, because they used to convert at the point of a sword." My rebuttal was "Yeah, and the pagans fed Christians to lions," which may have not been the kindest remark. The Boyfriend stepped in at that point with a change of topic, but I felt attacked. Later this friend laughed when I said that instead of playing a game I wasn't that into, I could just read my Bible. "Well, that's boring," was the remark. It stung, and I felt a little attacked.
Since I can remember, I've hated sweeping and uneducated comments about religion that has no real connection with the current state of said religion. Nothing run by man is perfect, but in our continual search for Revelation, we work towards perfection and receive the Lord's forgiveness. This is not just about attacks on Catholicism; Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, etc shouldn't be targets for cruel comments. It's just not cool in my book. I feel that to many people it's not cool to joke or make mean comments about other religions- unless it's Christianity. Yes, the Church hasn't always been perfect, but it's learning from its mistakes. Specifically, I find jokes about the "corruption of the Catholic church" to be outdated, references to His Holiness Benidict XVI being a Nazi to be unacceptable (as all youth in Nazi Germany were forced to be part of the Nazi Youth), and jokes or comments about Priests molesting children to be outright mean spirited (any field in which an adult is in a position to be trusted with children has people who abuse that trust and authority). Not all Muslims are terrorists, not all Baptists are like the Westboro followers, not all Mormons are polygamous, and not all Catholics are blind sheep following an Evil Overlord (by the way, comparison of His Holiness to Emperor Palpatine is just sad, get more creative if you're going to insult my Pope). I have found, however, that since beginning RCIA, I'm more apt to being bothered by such comments, and I tend to educate people when they show me their ignorance.
Overall, I'm generally dismayed that faithfulness and devotion is seen as something better hidden from public, and I refuse to allow that. About 2 months ago the question was posed to my RCIA class "Why is Christian Love not mainstream in today's world?" Many class members spoke up on the matter, saying that in our world today, many people only care about themselves. While I admire the intent, I had to disagree. I told my classmates that I felt that it's not Mainstream to be publicly devout, as people associate it with extreme minorities of the particular religion, mainly in the stereotypes that I mentioned above. Submission to God should not be casual or hidden, and I feel that most Americans would rather be "Vaguely Religious" than to face the tough questions and criticisms that come from a strong show of faith.
I say to hell with that! Faith should be a virtue to be proud of, for our faith strengthens us. RCIA and becoming fully accepted into the Church is a big part of my life, so there's no way I can just ignore it everyday but Sunday and Tuesday. That is denying a big part of my and my boyfriend's life, and I will not allow it to be hidden away. All of my friends and loved ones know that Tuesday night is RCIA, and that Sunday is off limits from our hobbies and most plans. We spend that day together and reflecting on our connection with the Lord. I've even invited my friends, regardless of religious beliefs, to my confirmation, because I want them to be there for my special moments. It just baffles me when people tell me that their Catholic, but prefer not to tell their friends for fear of being seen differently.
So I kind of got on a soapbox there for a while, so sorry about the long, rambling rant. But as a Candidate, I feel a strong desire to educate others about the misinformation many have about Catholicism, so I get a little passionate. I'll try not to ramble to often, I promise!
Overall, this weekend was great, as I learned much about myself and how delving deeper into my faith has affected me. I'm thankful for such revelations and what they help me learn about myself.
My next post will be about my perception of casual prejudice against Catholics, and how I seek to find answers regarding the subject.
