Session 3: Chapter 2 We Don't Know What Normal Is

Questions for Discussion:

In your own faith:  

Are you comfortable talking with others about your relationship with God?  

Yes, I am; but the question is, are they comfortable listening to you talk about your relationship with God?    Honestly,  when I talk to anyone, I converse with everyone as if they were all  Roman Catholic and it's a normal thing, you know, very matter of fact; despite the fact that they really are all not.  I guess that may seem strange but what else am I to do?  My faith is life to me. I think about God when I wake up, when I retire to bed;  he's a very real presence to me.  I think about him;  A constant  thought.  It's not that hard.  I also pray to the Virgin Mary when I discipline my kids.  As for me, you know that feeling you get when you sense someone's glare on you or on your back; I get that feeling whenever I do something that I believe is displeasing to God.  Then I feel like a child; confronted.  And I can hear myself, mentally talking to our Lord, "But....but....but...Father?" 

Would you say that you're a "normal" Catholic using the criteria outline above?

Yes, I believe it's normal to be excited Christian activists. I like to read about today's Christian activists and yesterdays.  Even though I believe it's normal, I'm not sure if I'm an activist.  Does homeschooling your kids and teaching the Catholic faith to your kids count?  Is that a form of  christian activism in it's own way?  I believe that my oldest son is an 'intentional disciple.'  His faith in God, in all things, is so strong.  I'm in awe of him and feel very blessed.  My son discusses God to his friends as normally as you were discussing the weather.  He believes in the power of forgiveness and that God is the answer to all of man's insecurities.  I believe it's normal for Catholics to be knowledgeable of their faith, the Scriptures, the doctrinal and moral teachings of the Church, and its history.  But there are a lot of Catholics who don't know simply because they weren't taught by their parents (who probably weren't taught by their parents either.)  I won't profess that I know it all. Gosh, does any Catholic?  But I have learned and am still learning.  It's also normal for lay Catholics to have fellowship of other committed lay Catholics available to them, to encourage, nurture, and discern as they attempt to follow Jesus.  How fortunate, if you can find them in your parish. I have not, and have ceased to look elsewhere in other Catholic churches in my hometown.  It's not there and I have lived here all of my life.  But I haven't allowed that to bother me.  That's just the way it is.  And I also believe it's normal for the local parish to function consciously as a house for formation for lay Catholics.  Not only is is normal but a  huge blessing.  How fortunate if your parish functions this way instead of  the formation of so-called clicks, which depend on your monetary and/or social status to the community and/or contributions to the church, in order to participate in these formations as a lay Catholic........sigh........ 

Are you a "typical" Catholic, fighting that feeling that interest in the faith is only for a few pious eccentrics? 

 If that's being a "typical" Catholic,  then I guess I'm not.  It never crossed my mind that interest in the faith might be only for a few pious eccentrics.   Do "typical" Catholics think that, really?  Good grief!!!  

In your parish:

Do you personally have, within your parish, a group of Catholics you meet with regularly, to discuss the faith, study the faith, and encourage each othet to greater virtue?

No I don't.  I discuss the faith, study the faith and encourage and am encouraged by my daughters, who are of school age.  We study and learn together.  I also have a cousin in California who is very knowlegeable to the faith.  I have learned much more about Catholic history through her and researched, on my own, because of my cousin.  Then, I share with my daughters, whom they, in turn, share what they have learned through reading and study. And surprisingly, through blogging.  There's a multitude of Catholic bloggers out there who have also encouraged me to greater virtue.  An invisible circle of hearts from as far as Australia, the United Kingdom,  to the United States; Catholic bloggers who come together via the internet throughout the day, up in the morning drinking their coffee, diapering a baby, washing clothes, homeschooling, gardening etc. to remind each other of our committment to the Magisterium of the Church and our love of God and humanity. And I shant forget my best friends, the saints, who hover into our domestic church through prayer.  Their intercessions are so essential.  

At this time, does your parish have in place a working system for actively mentoring those who want to grow in their relationship with God?

I don't know.

I love my parish.  My husband and I were married there.  Our children were all baptized there.  I attend Mass as often as I can.  Sometimes, it's necessary to obtain encouragement and virtue elsewhere other than your parish.

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The Simple Woman's Daybook Entry

For Today.....

Outside my window.....It's so hot!! Feels like 110 degrees outside!  But it's not.  102.  Slightly breezy outside.  No birds in view.  They're all in the shade within the trees.  I perspire as soon as I step outside.

I am thinking.....about our air conditioning.  Our compressor finally went out.  No money there to buy a new one.  Would cost us four thousand dollars for a refurbished and six thousand for a new one.  No problem.  We went to the store and purchased some small units to place in our bedrooms and the kitchen.  It's not as luxurious as central air-conditioning.  But we are comfortable anyhow.  Can't explain it but our home feels even more comfy because of this.  Thank you God for this!  You provided as always.

I am thankful....for my job; yes I'm hanging in there.  The census at work has dropped, therefore we're taking turns at work being called off.  Using my PTO.  Providence.

In the kitchen....are paint brushes, old newspapers, hot glue guns and a box of mixed seashells on the counter.  Brought my statue of  'The Holy Family' from outdoors to freshen up with paint.  Has become very faded..  My daughter Melinda is creating a wall hanging with seashells and two 'spoolie dolls.'  So much fun to make!  We're all drinking iced tea like water;  wished we had a watermelon.

Melinda's spoolie dolls that she made.

This is the instruction booklet where she got her ideas for her spoolie dolls.  I've had this for maybe fifteen years.

Melinda's lovely seashell  picture frame!

I am wearing..... one of my pretty blouses that I made.  Soft pair of blue jeans.  Hair piled up on my head.  Didn't have time to put on make-up.  Socks on my feet.  Won't go barefoot around the house.

I am creating....a pattern to be uploaded and printed on  fabric.  It has small violet hearts and the the words in cursive to 'O Bone Jesu'.

I am going.....to take a shower in a little while; right after I finish my coffee.

I am wondering.....about how I'm going to go about building a rabbit cage for the two rabbits which we got during Easter weekend.  They're in the house right now, in my oldest son's bedroom.  Their names are Brownie and Marshmallow.

I am reading....Rooted in Love by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle and The Third Spiritual Alphabet by Francisco Osuna.  Have been reading these two for several weeks.  Enjoy taking the time to read and absorb.

I am hoping....for rain.  We so need it.

I am looking forward to.....having a movie night at our house with my daughters.  Homemade popcorn and an old movie favorite, Cheaper By The Dozen.  No, not the newer version, but the one that came out in the '50s.  

I am learning....to ask for help when I need it.  This one is tough.

Around the house......clean, quiet, can hear the soft noise from the small air conditioning units that my husband purchased for the house.

I am pondering.....over my Catholic faith; that which I live and breath.

A favorite quote for today.....

One of my Favorite Things....being home with the kids, relaxing, watching the day, through the windows, fade into night.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....make a blue jean skirt, clean out my closet, make a pie (even if it is in the heat of summer), sit down and make a draft for building a rabbit cage.

A peek into my day....

A picture of the statue of 'The Holy Family' which I freshened up by repainting by hand. It's the centerpiece for my 'Rosary Garden'.

Session 2: Chapter 1, God Has No Grandchildren

For  Discussion:

In your own faith:

Have you always been Catholic?

Yes, I'm a Cradle Catholic.  Before my parents divorced, which was when I was about ten years old, they prayed together every evening in their bedroom and our family went to Mass together every Sunday.  We said Grace before meals always.  After my parents divorced, we lived with my grandmother.  Afterwards, going to Sunday Mass became infrequent due, in part, to my mother working full-time to support us.  We stopped saying Grace.  My two brothers never completed their sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Communion or Confirmation while growing up. My grandmother didn't learn to drive so she couldn't take us kids to church when my mother worked.  But grandmother prayed the rosary almost every evening.  I was always at her side during her prayers.  These things that she did, I remember.  They kept me content and always in awe of the faith.  I can still remember, when as a child, memorizing prayers with her and staring at the cross; that feeling in my soul how close God was at hand.   Yes, I was always happy to be a Catholic.
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How did the instruction and mentoring you received help you - or prevent you - from having a personal relationship with God?

 I had religious instruction, from the time I was six years old until I was a junior in high school.  I dropped out of RE classes afterwards.  I'm going to say I received, what some refer to our catechism after Vatican II,  as a 'lukewarm education.'  In my opinion, that's what it was.  I can't recall anything in RE classes that stuck with me all these years.  I learned whatever was required in order to receive the next three sacraments after Baptism.  As I got older and got out on my own, I tried to go to Mass on Sundays and before going to work.  At some point, I quit going in the morning before work; I attended Mass maybe twice a month.  I had thought of becoming a nun in my twenties; it didn't happen.  But I was blessed to have my grandmother and an aunt (Yolanda); my mother's sister.  They were the example. I watched them; keeping in prayer and remaining devoted always to the Church.  So, yes I believe I have a relationship with God because of them.
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If you were raised in a Catholic home, are your family members all still Catholic? 

   My father stopped going to church twenty years ago, for whatever reasons that he has.  He won't discuss them.  But he refers himself as a Catholic and has always continued to pray nightly.  My mother goes to church every Sunday.  My brother doesn't go to Mass; but he believes in God.  He prays and reads the Bible.  He calls himself a 'Christian.'  My other youngest brother passed away when he was seventeen.  He attended Mass whenever he could before he died. At some point in my life, I have to admit that I stopped going to church, and put God 'on the shelf' for a length of time.  It's when I married, at thirty-four, and gave birth to my first child, that I took our Lord 'off the shelf' and made sure he was a real presence in our home and in my children's lives.
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What events among your friends and family seem to explain why some are Catholic, and others are not?

I'm only guessing; but the Church has been under scrutiny for some time relating to some of the scandals of the priests,   The debate of whether a priest should be married or not.  Should we have to confess our sins to a priest?  Why do we honor Mary through prayer?  Homosexuality.  Is the body and blood of Christ really in the Holy Eucharist?  Why can't women be priests in the Catholic church?  etc. I'm guessing these are only some of the reasons that so many Catholics have left the church or refuse to practice their faith.  Embarrassed to be Catholic, maybe?  For some, it's not cool to be Catholic. Lastly, because they have not been well-educated on the faith of the Church.
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In your parish:

How’s your “retention rate”?  Don't know.

What percentage of 8th graders in your parish are still practicing the faith at age 18?  Honestly, I don't know.    

 At age 24? I don't know.

Do young adults in your parish stay in touch with their childhood faith community, or do they drift away to an unknown fate?"

  I believe that if they go off to college, they probably drift away to an unknown fate.  Possibly, some may rekindle their faith when they're a little older, in their thirties perhaps, or when preparing for marriage.  But I'm only guessing.  I have a niece that hasn't gone to Mass since she went off to college two years ago.
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