General Intro
Hi all,
I am creating this blog in response to a need to move content from one area to another, and to separate some of my material, namely the stuff dealing with my seeking God, specifically in Catholicism. I am a baptized Christian who was raised in the Protestant traditions, yet has not found them satisfying as time goes on. This entry is just kind of a catch up on material from another blog; after this the material will be new.
I want to use this blog to bare my heart a bit on some issues of Christianity in my life right now, especially as I have become curious about Catholicism, and about the doctrines of the churches I currently attend (namely a loosely Presbyterian congregation and a Church of Christ) I am especially exploring what I believe, and need a place to sort out my thoughts. Somehow my Word screen alone lacks the personality for all this :).
Lately I have been doing some reading about Catholisicm and stumbled upon a book called "The Cloister Walk" by Kathleen Norris. She is married, from a protestant background, yet finds herself and her poetry drawn to the liturgy of a monastery.
Well, life has become even more facinating and my facination with Catholisicm continues, wvwn though I don't know where it is leading me at the moment. My7 husband is very adverse to my having anything to do with Catholicism, and I have to admit that getting up early enough on Sundays to attend the first Mass then attend regular services is a bit wearing, and the online version of Mass is not quite as satisfying. And yet my desire to particiapte more fully in the rites has not diminished, even after seeing the human weaqknesses also present in the service at my local parish. Only time and God will tell what will become of this little escapade of mine, as my husband has deemed it.
I discovered something in my reading on Catholisicm that I did not know until two days ago. If you are not taking the host, for whatever reason, you don't have to stick out like a sore thumb by being the only one to stay seated during the Eucharist. Getting a blessing made me feel much less conspicuous than I had in my previous few Masses, and with a simple sign of the cross on my forehead I truly felt blessed, like I had been touched by God. I also felt like I was participating more in the Mass than before, important to me because, with the exception of the sign of peace, I have not really felt a part of the parish community, though I do feel more settled and calm after Mass than before, even when I do not come with the nest attitude.
I have disocvered an online monastery and have been playing with the idea of joining, as an oblate of course since I am married. I have also been reading about some monastery customs, though, and ou don't just join, like you would a reading club or a golf group. Usually there is a waiting period before you even make an initial commitment to the order, and I feel that a similar waiting period in my own life is necessary, bith with regard to this monastery and the Catholic Church. I want to be sure of my commitment to either or both, and part of the point of a wiating period is to allow both the order and the candidate to get to know each other. While I have been researching Catholicism for over a month and attending at least one Mass a week for the past few weeks, I still have a lot of questions that it seems only time and God can answer for me.
So I will be waiting and watching and learning till the start of October, and of course sharing my journey here :) Best wishes to you all. (july 13)
Well, that is all my catch- up material. Hope you will join me on this journey, an please feel free to comment!
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