Lent came late this year. I thought I'd have time to prepare for Easter, rediscover things about myself, my faith and solve the bigger mysteries of life. Ok, perhaps not the latter but as the Triduum started tonight, I find myself still on the outside looking in.
I don't know when I started pulling away from my parish and ultimately my faith. It helped me get through my illness at least for a while. I think it started to slip away when my dad got sick and there was nothing we could do. I could plea, beg and pray all I wanted but God didn't heal my dad. It was his time. In my rational brain, I know this; I understand this. But I was finally mad. I didn't get mad at God when I got sick. It was a little gift reminding me that life is precious and I have to take care of mine. Well, losing my dad, I've kind of lost sight of myself and I've become angry. I don't know if was when the new priest took over my parish and he wasn't personable, friendly enough, engaging enough. I don't know if it was when our RE director got sick and I lost interest in being a part of the RE program.
Maybe it was when I needed a priest to come to give my dad last rites and our parish pastor never returned the call. I was grateful that our old priest came and was happy he wanted to do the Mass of Christian Burial for my dad, at a time when he was busy and had moved on to another parish.
I felt out in the cold that my parish home wasn't the same and there when I needed it.
Maybe it was all of that. Maybe I didn't really have it. Maybe it was just so shaky that I lost it. Or maybe it's buried so deep down inside that I'm struggling to find it.
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| Altar of Repose Sacred Heart ABQ. 600 4th Street... Parish Hall behind Church. Image lifted from The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis de Assisi FB page here. : |
after Mass tonight at another church and felt like I was missing out on something. These three days really have taught me a lot about my faith in the past. We didn't make it to Mass this week as my husband has been sick, but I keep telling him I that I'm going to take him to church one of these years for Holy Week. I know he'd love it. He has a stronger faith than I do most days.
So, I'm feeling a little lost and a little let down and so very tired and overwhelmed right now. It's time to start moving forward and letting go of the fears. I've never quite understood the idea of giving them up to God and letting Him help me with the burden. Maybe as I start taking baby steps forward, I'll start feeling Him lift some of the load.
In other news, one of those evangelical man-made churches sent me a flyer today in the mail offering a seminar about the Rapture. It stated the signs are here, that the world is ending, come see what's happening, and how to get saved. Oh, how I do enjoy a good discussion with Bible Literalists. Ok, I really don't. There are many people are looking for God everywhere and maybe it doesn't matter where they find Him, but I'll stick with my Church. It just feels like home. Maybe it will be a different parish but that's the one thing I like about Catholicism, is that Catholic with a little c means universal. And there is always a place there for me.
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