All Saint's Day
Well, here is one day that rather snuck up on me. I actually did not realize until sunday that All Saint's Day is a holy day of obligation. Praise be to God, He gave me a wonderful late starting day at work so Iwas free to attend almost any of the offered Masses. And wow! I know I have been saying that a lot in this blog, but it is true.
The Mass I attended was also the Mass that was attended by the children of our parish school, many of whom were dressed as saints, a few in very elaborate costumes. Father gave a very rousing homily about how we are all called to be saints, and to follow i nthe footsteps of these individuals that the Church has recognized. It was a perfect accompaniment to our discussion at dismissal Sunday, and to m own quest for a confirmation name saint. (Though I am really feeling drawn to St. Monica now, since a good bit of her married experience seems to mirror my own, with the first major difference being that she was raised in the Church, and I will be a convert. The second major difference between us is that she had children to pray for as well, while at the moment I do not. However, we will see where God leads me.
Also, I will give a bit more info on my personal research into the Church today, just to catch everyone up. I searched out information for a long time (3 months) online before ever attending Mass. Then I attended daily Mass for over a month before venturing into Sunday Mass. Finally I answered God's call on my heart and began attending RCIA. Sadly, with in a couple of weeks of joining the inquiry class, my work schedule picked up and made attendance almost impossible. But God again opened doors for me, and I was admitted to the Rite of Acceptance and could attend Sunday dismissal. At about this time I discovered St. Mary's Press, an organization that provides free CD's of various materials, including a message by Scott Hahn about his conversion, as well as a CD of the Rosary. I have since read and listened to many other conversion stories, and even though it is not broadcast in my area, I download the archived broadcasts of Catholic Answers Live and American Catholic Radio. These programs have really developed my faith and quieted many of my doubts.
I am still pondering a question that was asked last week in dismissal by one of our directors. We were talknig about the Church being a sacrament, and by joining the Church, the person also becomes a sacrament. And then we were asked, "Why do you want to be here, and to take part in the sacraments?" In many ways I am still answering that question. I know a tiny part of it is curiositiy, and a good part of it, especially the last few times I have attend Mass, is a hunger for the Euchrist, but there is still a part of my answer that I cannot articulate yet. I'll keep you posted. :)
Till next we meet, may God richly bless you.
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