My 22-month-old daughter had made it through most of evening Mass, but after receiving Communion I was holding her in the back of the church so she could wave to her favorite statue of St. “Shoesoff”“ (Joseph) and kiss his “feetsies.” She waved and beamed to the parishioners walking back to their pews. “Hi!” she grinned at an unkempt man wearing an old military coat and multiple bandanas around his head. He grinned back.
I’d seen him often in the adoration chapel. He’s homeless. He’s dirty. He lights a lot of votives. And he prays out loud and talks to himself. He’s a little bit crazy. But we both go to the adoration chapel for the same reason. To be with Jesus. Jesus is the one, and maybe only, thing we have in common.
My daughter’s happy greeting made me smile. Because I’m not nearly as good as my toddler at interacting with people who make me uncomfortable. My instinct is to stay in my circle of friends who are just like me.
And for years, that held true in where I attended church. I grew up in churches that catered to young, middle-class families. In college my husband and I tried out the “undergrad” church before settling instead on the church where lots of our professors and grad student friends attended. Until our conversion to the Catholic faith, I’d never been part of a church that wasn’t comprised of primarily white, middle-class attendees like myself.
It’s only natural to gravitate toward people who are like us. People we get along with. People who like us and make sense to us. People we agree with. People who make us comfortable. But if I’ve learned anything as a Catholic it’s that the faith will force you out of your comfort zone. As Pope Benedict XVI said, the world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness.
The same homeless man Baby Gwen greeted stood in line next to us after Mass waiting for the simple lenten meal in the parish hall. Our priest waved him over, telling him to be sure to get some food. And I was suddenly reminded of a conversation with my friend Tyler Blanski about a quote in the news this past week from Rob Bell, former mega-church pastor turned Oprah channel show host, talking about why he and his wife no longer attend a church:
“We have a little tribe of friends. We have a group that we are journeying with. There’s no building. We’re churching all the time. It’s more of a verb for us.”
A little tribe of friends. It makes me think of the gang of pals in How I Met Your Mother–20 somethings who are all besties and hang out at their favorite bar, Maclaren’s Pub. They eat Thanksgiving dinner together every year. They go to each other’s weddings. They’re with each other through thick and thin (well, for the most part). They’re in the same place in life, they’re all white and middle class. They all went to college. They’re a little tribe of friends.
I have great friends. Their friendship is a gift from God. But hanging out with my friends as we journey through life together is a pathetic substitute for the Church. The Church is not where we chill with our besties. The Church is where we are bound together, despite our differences, because of something beyond ourselves: Christ.
What do I have in common with the homeless man who stood next to us in the soup line? The man whose clothes are unwashed, who sleeps in the parish hall when he has no where to go, who talks to himself and, after receiving Communion, gestures erratically as if blessing all the parishioners standing next to him? What on earth do we have in common?
What do I have in common with the old woman whose walker squeaks across the chapel floor, the African immigrant who stops to pray in the chapel each morning on his way to work, the middle-aged woman who sways and whispers to herself as attends daily Mass, the Filipino doctor, the family with 10 kids, the students from the CSU who gather in the chapel and sing while Holy Saturday turns to Easter Sunday, the young couple suffering from infertility, the single guy in his 40s? Perhaps nothing. We may have nothing in common except for the only thing that matters.
In Rumer Godden’s brilliant novel, In This House of Brede, the protagonist Philippa says, “One of the good things about a Catholic church is that it isn’t respectable. You can find anyone in it, from duchesses to whores, from tramps to kings.” Yes. Here we all are. Sinners. All drawn together in one flesh because only in the Church can we partake of Jesus’ Body and Blood. Only in the Church can we receive this grace.
We can stand together in line waiting for lenten soup after evening Mass because we just stood together waiting to receive Our Lord’s Body and Blood. They would probably never choose me to sit at their table at a pub. These people aren’t “my tribe” at all. But they are my brothers and sisters, my family. The Eucharist is what binds us together.
Because what IS the Church without the Eucharist? Why go? If it’s just friendship, fellowship, or sharing ideas, why can’t you get that somewhere (anywhere) else. Why spend your Sunday morning sitting in a pew when you can get the same thing at MacLaren’s Pub on Friday night after work? Why not just enjoy your little tribe of friends?
Rob Bell’s little tribe of friends isn’t coming from no where. Since the Reformation the Body of Christ has been splintered into smaller and smaller pieces due to everything from theological disputes to racial, cultural, and socio-economic differences. This tribalism is simply the final step from the pew to a booth at Maclaren’s.
The Catholic Church is not a little tribe of people like me. It is the immigrant, the lawyer, the blue collar worker, the single mom. It’s filled with people I have nothing in common with. Some of whom I don’t even like and some who probably don’t like me. We are not comfortable together. But we are one. Not broken up according to ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education, and certainly not by cliques.
From it’s inception, the Church was revolutionary for this very reason: it’s unity. Slave, free, Jew, Gentile, rich, poor, meeting together in the catacombs, all eating from the same Table of Grace over the blood of the martyrs. And the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.
Ahh, so awesome.
Thanks, Rosa!
Right on, Haley. An inspired post. I am so incredibly blessed by having a large community of active Catholic frinds and other families, mostly from our parish. we have a family dinner the group that meets every couple of months with all of our kids, and we celebrate birthdays and go out for girls night and do volunteering and playdates and even liturgical year celebrations together. But sometimes it’s easy to not reach out from that! Thanks for this reminder. 😉
Thanks, Erin! I’ve been really blessed with some great Catholic friends, too 🙂
Damn girl. You nailed this!
Several of our college friends are now walking down this road, and its really painful because as much as we still love and respect and want to support them, we clearly have very different views on Church (esp obvious since we joined the Catholic Church last year). I have thought through a thousand reasons of why I can’t believe having “a tribe” (or whatever term is used) is really the will of God for His people, but I have never thought of it in this way. This is SPOT. ON. I will probably be quoting you in the future.
Haha! Thanks, Shannon. We have lots of friends from college going in that direction, too. Ok, so I’m just now making connections between blogs, FB, and IG. You know Holly? And you’re in TX? We’ll be there in September, so let’s hang out!
oh sorry I should have done a formal intro a long time ago! ha. yes, holly is a dear friend. and for sure, can’t wait to meet you! dying to know what city you’ll be in!
yeah girl. Tribes are for happy hour.
Speaking of, I will def miss happy hour with you at Edel this year. Since it’s our tribal tradition or something 😉
Also, when we surround ourselves with only (mostly) like-minded people, ‘loving others’ isn’t much of a challenge. I have found that some of my largest jumps in faith have come from learning to live with and love the people I don’t actually…like.
Absolutely! I usually have no problem loving people who really like me and are like me, haha.
Haley, you nailed this. And Liz, you’re right on target too, even though it’s something I don’t want to hear as I struggle with a very complicated and difficult relationship with someone who will likely end up marrying into my family. Thus far, I’ve stayed in my comfort zone, which is faaaaar away from that person and the family member and the priest whose actions really hurt my husband and me (and our marriage) when we were newlyweds.
Wow Haley!! Brilliant!!!
Thank you, Erin!
This. Is. Beautiful.
Well done. A million thanks! Send this one in for publishing! (Nat’l Catholic Register?)
what is it James Joyce said about the Church? “Here comes everybody,” something like that. I thought of that today when I was at my sister’s Rite of Election at the cathedral, with candidates and catechumens of every description. Here comes everybody. It’s so wonderful.
I love that, Lindsay.
Great post!
This is fantastic!
Love this. Thank you for this!
Absolutely perfect.
What a great post!
Beautiful post, Haley! Thank you.
{kathy} Yep. This is it. This is the reason we go to church. God has called us to more than a tribe.
Good, solid writing here, my friend. If this is going out on a limb, start planting more trees.
<3
Good thought! It reminds me of an image I will never forget — visiting the St. John Neumann shrine, as a child, and seeing a homeless man propped up against the glass case that contains the saint’s body. just resting there. I don’t know anything about the man, but the juxtaposition is interesting. It’s even more meaningful if you think about the kind of people St John Neumann served as Bishop (he was very dedicated to immigrants and the poor.) I love Catholic churches in the city, because they are so accessible and usually contain such a mixed lot!
Yay for a fellow ‘Philly girl’ reading this blog! (Or maybe just a Philly visitor?) I still haven’t been to that shrine, but it’s definitely on my list. I totally agree about churches in the city; they’re a whole different experience, and they really help to remind you of the diversity of the Church.
Beautiful post Haley! I would counter that there many churches that welcome people from all walks of life in the catholic (with a little c) church universal. I was reminded of that as I sat next to some Rwandan refugees in my Sunday school class, heard a family speaking Spanish in the narthex before services, and noted many noisy young children running down the aisles in my mainline Protestant church sanctuary. I think it’s great that in many places where Christ is worshipped there is room at His table for all.
Thanks for your comment; I am also from a Protestant church (Alliance) that serves the most culturally-diverse and economically-poor quadrant of our city. It’s such a joy to come together with people of all backgrounds and worship together.
Absolutely, Ann! You can find churches from various traditions that have very diverse congregations and I think that’s a great thing. And you can also find Catholic parishes filled with people who all look exactly the same (we have one in our town that is pretty homogenous due to it’s location). But what I was getting at in this post is that not my individual parish, but the Church (big C) connects us to people completely unlike us because of the sacraments.
Love this so much. So true and so very challenging. The tribe (or whatever…that feels weird saying it) is so important for our own faith but it is not the completion of Church by any means.
Exactly. I’m so grateful for my tribe. And more grateful for my Church 😉
Chills… Thanks, Haley 🙂
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
Absolutely. This is every-bit of inspiring, Haley. Thank you for putting it to paper (or digital, as the case may be ;)).
Oops, a tear found its way out at the end. This post concludes beautifully. It reminds me of a passage in C.S. Lewis (I can’t remember where exactly) in which he describes the realization that actually going to church is a crucial piece of being a Christian, that it’s not enough simply to believe/read/study/pray alone, that there is something incarnational about being physically present with others to worship as part of the body of Christ. Probably Surprised By Joy?
I also appreciate Ann’s comment above about the “little c’s” catholic church. This resonates with me, as do your thoughts, because it reflects the reality at our intown congregation. One of the biggest adjustments I’ve had to face as an adult in the mainline tradition I grew up in, is being uncomfortable with, different than, challenged by the people around me at church– and to be at peace with this. At my childhood church, I’m sure we said and believed that all were welcome . . . but mostly the same sorts of people showed up. Here, in this city, in this time, I’m pulled into community with friends and neighbors I would never encounter (or possibly choose) otherwise. If I’m honest, it comes with wear and tear on the part of me that would prefer to define my community myself and be cozy and supported all the time. I think there’s room to acknowledge one’s desire for a tribe, or a “pocket” as Auntie Leila says at LMLD, and then to try to cultivate a network to depend on. But you help me realize that the Church itself doesn’t have to assume that responsibility– the Church is free to be a place of unity and reconciliation where grace and reality collide, and where the door is open.
Can you believe I’ve never read Surprised by Joy?! I’ve read so much of Lewis, but never that one!
Haley,
You make a good point about bringing people together who otherwise might not share anything in common, but I would challenge you with this thought. Perhaps you are sharing the Eucharist with that homeless man (or receiving the Eucharist under the same roof), but have you actually made a connection with that man that might have an impact on his life or improve his situation?
I think the fact that Rob Bell doesn’t regularly attend a formal church isn’t his way of saying that we shouldn’t have church, but rather his choice provides a way for him to connect deeply and have an impact on other people’s lives.
You could certainly do both, and I am not advocating for you or anyone else to model his choices, but there is a good chance that he is having a far more substantial impact on the lives of his ‘tribe’ than many of us have in the lives of our fellow church-goers.
I think there is something to be said about living the way God intended us to live- through genuine, thoughtful, and emotional interactions- versus simply going through the motions every Sunday morning and remaining mostly disconnected to your fellow parishioners.
Sean – He might be having a good influence on his small “tribe”, but at the same time he is closing himself off from a large number of people who might need him.
By supporting the church, the very building not just the Church as a whole, Haley and her family are supporting that man in many ways and it’s a bit insulting to insinuate otherwise. Her families giving keeps those doors open to that man so that those best suited to care for his needs – physical and spiritual – can do so. By being part of the group of people that allows that church to distribute the Eucharist, to open it’s doors to the carepoor and so much she is having a *direct* affect on improving the man’s life even though he might still be homeless.
Without the church, if she was just staying home on Sunday with her handpicked group of college educated, 20 something, middle class friend debate Chesterton and Aquinas she might never interact with this man at all. She might give less to charitable institutions, she might not offer her prayers to people in those situations because they are not entering into her handpicked world.
Just because we are not inviting every person into our home or caring for them with our own hands does not mean our actions do not have an immediate impact on their life. It’s harsh to say, but if you’re going to deny that than I would question if you believe in prayer at all.
And this is exactly why we need church building and parishoners of all sorts interacting with each other. It is too easy to ignore people at the fringes of our society when we create our own little bubbles of interaction.
It is anti-life rehetoric to say that anyone should get to pick and choose the people they interact with or support with their time or money and the idea of a “tribe” over a church or congregation basically tells you that it is okay to pick and choose who is important to you in the world.
I don’t think this is strictly an either-or proposition, and to presume an alternate view is “insulting” is in itself missing the point.
If you look at the example of Jesus in the Bible, did he not preach and demonstrate *direct* acts of compassion to the poor/neglected/outcasts of his time? Are we not to follow his example?
I don’t disagree with this post — in fact, I find it very much on point. But I also think it’s worth continuing to dig deeper… and remaining open to deeper connections and opportunities for direct impact, in addition to being part of a larger body where you are making indirect impacts as a whole body.
Sean,
What you’re saying makes sense only if you accept your premise that God’s main plan is for us to live “through genuine, thoughtful, and emotional interactions” with each other. But, while that may be a widely held belief among pop-spiritualists like Rob Bell and Oprah, it is not what the Catholic Church teaches. There’s nothing wrong with “emotional interactions.” And, if you follow Christ, you are bound to end up making such genuine connections with other people. True friendship is certainly a mark the faith. But God’s true goal for us is to be totally transformed into the likeness of Christ. Friendships CAN help in that endeavor. But the main way this is accomplished is through the Eucharist where we literally consume the body and blood of Jesus Christ. For Protestants who reject Transubstantiation, it might make sense to also forego communion as just “the motions.” But, for Catholics, this amazing sacrament cannot be anything but efficacious. And two people who share it cannot be disconnected. They are literally the same body at that point. It’s fine to look for pragmatic or practical examples of this connection. But to do so at the expense of the reality of the sacrament will ultimately lead away from the Church and, subsequently, the truth.
Also, it’s a bit silly to speculate about who has had the bigger impact, Rob bell with his tribe or Catholics with their homeless. Because Christ didn’t leave us a directive to make an impact on our friends and the people we already like. He called us to preach the Gospel, make disciples, and love our enemies. A group of friends who hang out sometimes can do none of those things.
On the one hand, I think you’re right about the deep connection of the Eucharist, the spiritual bonds that transcend space and time. But, can’t this also be an excuse for not interacting with The Other on a more basic human level? Admittedly when I’ve visited Catholic Churches as a Protestant, I was struck by how no one talked to each other, except a few friends here and there. It was get the Eucharist and get out. We have to have both types of communion. The homeless men and women are looking for someone to say hello to them too, someone who isn’t the priest.
Yet, Haley does speak a little of the “other” communion you refer to: the Lenten meal after Mass. Granted, she doesn’t go into detail about sitting down with the gentleman and eating with him, but let’s assume he did not sit all by himself and eat.
The Catholic churches I have attended in the past 15 years differ greatly from my hometown parish when I left it. There is fellowship before Mass as people greeting each other and speaking–quietly, for there are those of us utilizing that time as prayer time–and the moment right before the Entrance song where we are encouraged to greet those around us. Geez, there are even people whose ministry at every Mass is Greeter! Then we have coffee and donuts fellowship, Friday evening Fish Fries during Lent (yep, I’m in the Midwest!) Women’s Retreats, Men’s Retreats, Food Pantries, Toiletry Collection for the Homeless Shelter, Small Groups, Bible Studies, and to us, most importantly, the Sign of Peace before receiving the Eucharist.
My point is this: We commune with our brethern in small ways and in big ways. In those moments at Mass, Haley and her family weren’t solving what WE perceive as the man’s problems–his homelessness, his hygiene, or even his supposed isolation. To him, though he might view weekly Mass as a time to be spiritually fed, to be a member of a community who won’t look down at him as a marginalized member of society. We forget how much we as humans crave DIGNITY until we lose it!
And who do we know for sure gave him the dignity that you cite as important? Gwen. I think her parents are definitely doing something right. 🙂
I love this!!! The comfort of being uncomfortable 🙂
I needed the reminder, because it’s instinctive to hang with our comfy friends, and maybe accept more into the group, rather than move out of the group and talk to others.
Thank you. I am bookmarking this.
Yes. It’s difficult for me to move out of my comfort zone. Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with two very extroverted children who held me get past that flaw 😉
What a lovely post! You know, this is a huge reason I felt so at home with the Catholic faith and why I converted…all are welcome. I love to watch the people going up to take Communion and when I miss someone I am used to seeing, even though I have never spoken to them, I wonder and worry about them. I love seeing the old, the young, and everyone in between all coming for the same reason.
I love watching people going up to take Communion, too!
Haley,
All I can say is “WOW” to this post! I felt I had to comment so I could affirm everything you wrote, and wrote so beautifully. Thank you for sharing this, thank you for your beautiful, Christ-centered heart. This post was both challenging and uplifting for me. You can bet that the next time I’m at Mass I’m going to be a little more aware to turn off the judgments in my heart and instead thank God for the beautiful universality of His Church united by His body & blood.
Thanks so much, Meg M!
I think as much as we can love our friends they are not the same as meeting Christ in the flesh in the Eucharist, and we deny that power in our lives and in our Church when we believe that meeting Christ in others can be as powerful and as unifying as the Eucharist. I love that you made this point because it’s the antidote to the comfortable, pub-loving Christianity that is at the heart of what Rob Bell is talking about.
This post has provided some food for thought – thanks! I left Mass last night wishing very strongly that my family could find a church “tribe” and was determined to seek one out, despite the fact that the idea of parish-shopping rubs me the wrong way. (You see, we’ve been feeling unwelcome at our new parish, having two toddlers that require us to go to the back of the church at least a couple of times each Mass). I’ll have to reevaluate my desire for comfort versus Catholic community.
Oh Meredith, I know the back of our church so well, haha. That’s hard! Prayers.
Amen! The church exists to evangelize! Even as a missionary I need a reminder of this once in a while 😉 great post!
This is so full of truth and just an absolutely beautiful article! Thank you for the lovely read.
You are amazing! I’m going to print this out.
Great article! Iron sharpens iron. When we surround by people who are different, that is when we are forced to grow and really love. I love my Mama Church ♥
<3
That was really beautiful, Haley.
Thank you so much for writing this!!
Haley, this is so beautiful and true!
Haley, I really appreciated this post. Because I went to college in the city where Rob Bell’s former church (Mars Hill) is, I’ve always been aware of Bell’s brand of Christianity, and I have to say that this is an amazing response to him. His church was named after the Areopagus in Greece where all ideas where to be heard but in the end that’s not what his church was or what he preaches. I pray for him, and I wish that he could hear the wisdom of this post.
But sadly, he (currently) is quite lost.
I wholeheartedly agree with you, Haley.
Now that I am the foreigner in someone else’s country I feel what you mean more than ever.. I am not in my comfort zone anymore, I am “the other” here… but no matter what I always feel at home during Mass.
The beautiful reasoning you pointed out in this post makes me think a lot: if sometime it seems so hard to see us as brothers and sisters within the Church, in front of the Eucharist, how hard can be to see this way the stranger, the outsider?
It is only by reminding of our inner unity as a church and in front of Christ that we learn to include, rather than exclude… even when it is someone or something completely beyond our comfort zone.
xo,
“It is only by reminding of our inner unity as a church and in front of Christ that we learn to include, rather than exclude… even when it is someone or something completely beyond our comfort zone.” I love that, Paola.
You nailed it. I love that I have brothers and sisters all over the globe. I can go anywhere in the world and celebrate the mass.
I love that so much, too, Rain! It doesn’t even matter if the Mass is in a different language. I can still know what’s going on–connected to my brothers and sisters all over the world.
Thank you for this post, Haley. It was so poignant and deep and beautiful. But can we talk about how stinking adorable it is that your daughter calls St. Joseph “St. Shoesoff.” I mean, come on!
haha! She’s a cute one 😉
If I hadn’t already converted last year, this post might have just pushed me into the Tiber 🙂 I was totally that Christian who was comfortable in my designer tribe church where everyone had very similar views on things. I felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit drawing me towards “unity” with other Christians, but after feeling totally lost on how I could submit to it, I remember offering up a short heartfelt prayer, ” Jesus, show us where you want us to go to church.” Two months later we were in RCIA. 🙂
That’s beautiful, Ashley!
Just beautiful, Haley! So glad I took the time to read this today. So insightful!
My husband and I just moved to Oklahoma (my home state), after living in Washington, D.C. for several years. Our church there was small, but one of the things I really loved about it was the variety of church-goers. Only in DC could you have such a varied mix in such a small group. People from all around the world, from all walks of life, and there was always something to talk about. Our new church here is the opposite. But that is the nature of central Oklahoma. I am so thankful for our DC church experience, and what it taught me about “my tribe”. Great post, Haley!
Where in oklahoma??? St Francis in okc (my parish) is definitely like this!
I stumbled upon your blog because my sister was reading it while using my laptop which still had my google account logged into it. Must say I’m happy to have found this, it’s stellar work.
I’m glad you’re here, Jorden!
I really loved this article! thank you!
A beautiful post Haley. I remember when I was younger, sitting and watching everyone go to Communion and feeling a sense of wonder at and connection to all the people waiting to receive Christ.
Recently, my husband and I and our kids moved to a new city and a new parish. We have been so blessed by a few parishioners of took it upon themselves to start creating more opportunities for real friendship and community as disciples within the parish. They graciously opened up their homes, hosting potlucks and evenings of sharing conversion stories and testimonies of how Christ was at work in people’s lives. It blossomed into other events like hikes and baby showers and evenings of music and prayer. Through that we were able to meet all kinds of people, young and old, single and married, from every political and economic stripe. We now have friends who are in their 70’s or whose children are much older than ours or whose children go to a different school. I never experienced anything quite like it before. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what made the whole thing so successful. Somehow the combination of being in someone’s home, but gathered with an implicit understanding that we are lovers of Christ and hoping to find companions on our journey that helped people make deeper connections than they normally do at coffee hour or soup suppers. The best part is that now when we go to Mass, our connection to each other through the Eucharist is that much stronger and more joyful because we actually kind of know each other. It makes me feel more willing to step out of my comfort zone and say hi to someone new, someone unlike me, because I feel like if we get to talking I have something to offer them- “hey, you should come to this event” or “let me introduce you to this other parishioner you might like.” All this came about because a few people answered a call to reach out a little. So if anyone is feeling that call I encourage them to go for it!
Yes to all of this! <3
Lovely sentiments. I love that Pope Francis has talked about how the Catholic church needs to be in the tension and difficult places. I think that is another way to think about your points here. It may not always to share fellowship with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, but it is an important thing to do. Thanks for sharing!
Yes! That’s a great point.
The only sentence in this article that portrays a decent view of “The Church” is the quotation from Godden:
“One of the good things about a Catholic church is that it isn’t respectable.”
Notice the indefinite article. All throughout this piece, the author speaks of “The Church” and “The Catholic Church”, and repeatedly equates it with the building she attends services at.
The Church is not a building. She’s talking about “a church”: a physical building where an organized corporation provides religious services to people seeking such services in exchange for monetary donations. Equating this business with The Church–that is, the “bride of Christ”, the cloud of believers–is simply a confusion of language.
I’m sure her church is very special to her. My front porch is very special to me too. But a physical building is not “The Church”.
Contrary to the main thesis of this article, a church is actually not much different from a pub (literally short for “public house”). The are both businesses that provide a service to people from all different walks of life. If the author wants to argue that her physical church is somehow better than a pub, go ahead and do that, but don’t do that by confusing “a church” for “The Church” and co-opting the divine attributes of the latter to build up the earthly former.
Hey Fenn,
You’ve misunderstood Haley if you think the Church = a building. It’s the opposite. One could very well have a Mass in a pub, I suppose. Or outside in a grotto or a garden, or your front porch. I’ve attended Mass in a hotel room.
The Church does equal the Bride of Christ; Haley is disputing the very real class/race/age division that modern churches subscribe to. If you don’t think it’s a thing, go to your local megachurch and see how they divide up the congregation for religious services: there’s the youth service, the children’s service, the toddlers and babies go to childcare. There’s the married groups and the singles group. Why? It’s true that for fellowship, division into tribes of people who have things in common can be beneficial. But for worship?! No way! It shouldn’t be about us and what we have in common. The only one it should be about is Christ.
All the best,
Christie
This is one of the most beautiful and inspirational articles I have ever read. Thank you Haley! We are so blessed to be part of this messy, imperfect community of our amazing, one, holy, apostolic Catholic Church. Love love love being Catholic.
So beautiful Haley! You have an amazing gift! This is one of the reasons I was drawn to the Catholic Church. To take this a step further, at our Parish Lenten Retreat the visiting priest spoke about how he felt like “church” was anywhere people were gathered and suffering and seeking help because the Holy Spirit would be there (I’m paraphrasing terribly). As Catholics we are called to help people in those situations feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. This doesn’t mean we should replace Church with these “chapels;” rather we should draw closer to God and to the Catholic Church so we are better equipped in the secular world.
On a related side note, I think that as Catholics, we need to share our gifts with our local Catholic parish rather than “parish shop” for a Priest we like or a community that “feels right.” That doesn’t mean we can’t develop a Catholic “tribe” and with participate in activities at other parishes – after all, we are all one body, one Church – but in order to keep our parishes strong we need to have strong faithful Catholics involved at every parish.
Ok, stepping of my soap box…
Thank you so much for sharing this story!
I love, love this post for SO many reasons. First, I was just introduced to your blog (which I will promptly follow) through a little local Catholic Mamas Facebook page where I live in Charlottesville, VA. I, like you am a Catholic convert after (RCIA, after marriage to my awesome Catholic husband). Second, your writing is so raw and real. I’ve never heard/read a POV like yours and I like it. Your right, church isn’t always comfortable. Three, I read your Catholic story and I was a little scared by part one — the questions you asked… did you find your answers? resolution? Do you believe that you are saved by grace and by believing in Jesus as your Savior (John 3:16 — the rockstar verse)? I’ll keep reading more. Four, Rob Bell, he’s a puzzle, but one that I’ve been thinking about for awhile, because I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI — the place that Rob Bell planted the “church” that has led him into “fame.” And Grand Rapids is such a Christian place… anyhow I could go on and on, but I’ll keep following you! Last, can we be friends, I mean this as a serious compliment but you are like the coolest Catholic I’ve ever read. 🙂 thank you for your words.
Hi Sara! Thanks so much for following. I definitely have had the questions I struggled with, including questions about salvation, answered by the Catholic faith. It’s such a relief to be able to rest on the teachings of the Church. And we can absolutely be friends 🙂
I love this especially because I was just ruminating on Communion and the magic of it all – all kinds coming together for one purpose and to sit at one table and “recognize” Him just as he says after the Resurrection. Our Lady of the Angels Cathdral in our downtown has beautiful tapestries that line the walls on the way down to the altar, and I get chills feeling as though those saints and common folk alike are alongside me. My aunt also taught me to pray for each soul walking past me in Mass which has been a beautiful meditation to center me, unite me with others, and calm my monkey mind.
Thank you for sharing!! Your last paragraph is my favorite!!! ❤
This was something I loved the minute I walked in the doors of our local parish (unlike some other things which took a bit more time! 🙂 ). Most protestant church attract some demographic or personality type, but there is no wondering if you “fit in” as a Catholic, because there is already every imaginable kind of person there!