Religion is such a loaded topic. To begin, I am Catholic. I love being Catholic. I adore my church, which is a wonderful community. Last week, I was visiting my parents and went to Mass with my father. There were 60 people in the church sitting in 50 different pews. There were no alter servers. No one made eye contact or held hands during the "Our Father." As soon as the priest said the final blessing, the church emptied so quickly that I was shocked. The entire time I was at Mass, I never felt the peace and acceptance that I take for granted at my church.
I realized why some people are so put off by religion. I will never be the type of person to beat my Bible at you. I don't use Jesus to explain my bad behavior and I surely won't judge or try to save you. My religion, while important to me, is my personal journey. I need that supportive community. I love having people from my grandparent's generation tell me about their large families. I love recognizing people in my neighborhood because we share a common experience every Sunday. I love that four generations come together in one place, from the newly born to the elderly, to share together.
I need to believe in something bigger than myself. I need the quiet and the peace that comes from spending an hour in reflection every week. I love that my children have a deep connection to their faith and their faith community. Church for me acts as a reset button and allows me to start anew every week and put the past week in the past.
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