New to Blog List

Welcome to the newest addition to my blog list, White Around the Collar, by Fr. Dana Christensen. Fr. Christensen is a recently ordained Catholic priest in the Sioux Falls Diocese of South Dakota. My home parish "adopted" him during his time in the seminary, so although I have not personally met him, my mom has. She informed me of his blog this morning. If you check back soon, he plans to post pictures of my home parish, St. Joseph Catholic Church, next on his virtual tour of parishes. I have read some of his thoughts and listened to a homily, and I look forward to hearing more. Our former parish priest, Fr. Todd Reitmeyer, used to post his thoughts and homilies on his blog, too, and I've missed that since he left this world.
My opinion on religion and Christian denominations is this--I respect your choice and decision to worship however and wherever you choose. I myself, come from a loving home with a Catholic mom and an ELCA Lutheran dad. As for me, however, I am Catholic to a place so deep in my soul I can't explain it. Well-meaning people have tried to steer me away from the Catholic faith occasionally over the years, and I risked my own boyfriend (now husband's) complete rejection by choosing my Catholic faith over anything else over ten years ago. After thousands of tears, he has realized what I already knew from before the day we met--my Catholic faith is so much a part of me, I feel absolutely dead inside when I think of giving that up for anything. In short, as long as you don't try to change me, we're good.
You don't have to tell me the Catholic Church isn't perfect. Even the pope knows that. I am spiritually exhausted from theological discussions, debunking misconceptions of the Catholic faith, and wondering how any reformer is any different from the rest. In fact, I have built up quite the literary Catholic "arsenal" over the years to defend the Church. But, now, at this point in my life (at the ripe old age of 31), I no longer feel the need for those arguments disguised as discussions. If one is truly content with his or her choice in religion, trying to change others to their way of thinking--either with attacks or seemingly innocent comments--will simply not happen. If it does, that tells me where that person stands in rationalizing their own choices. I don't understand nearly everything about the Catholic church, but I have the rest of my time on this earth to learn. The greatest gift my husband has given me, after marrying me, is that he has allowed our children to be raised in the Catholic faith along side his own Lutheran faith.
About a month ago, my children and I stopped at an International Implement (red tractor) dealer with an aunt who needed to get a part for her husband's tractor. Landen marched right up to the front counter and announced, "I live on a JOHN DEERE farm!" The employee jokingly told him, "Well, then get out of here!" We all laughed at Landen's innocent outspokenness.
I have thought back to that day now when I go to a church other than Catholic and I understand his need to speak up. I want to be an innocent six-year old and announce, "I go to the CATHOLIC Church!" IT'S NOT THAT IT'S ANY BETTER; but, just as Landen knows he belongs in green tractors, I know where I belong, too.
Although it has gotten better over the years, living an ecumenical marriage has not been easy. I spent the first years of our marriage feeling threatened. It's really difficult when you move into a community with literally a handful of Catholics in the entire town and the closest Catholic church is about 20 miles away. It takes more effort than usual to be Catholic in this part of the country!
I have often thought it would be so much easier if it didn't matter so much to me, if I just changed denominations because that was the "wife's thing to do." For many it is no big deal, but for me it is. I am blessed beyond words to have a husband who understands that when many do not.
We read "To Kill A Mockingbird" in my first year of teaching and, given the events in my life at the time, this line from Scout jumped off the page at me:
"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing."
Sometimes it takes the fear of losing something to realize what a necessity it is. May you always hold tight to that "breath"--whatever it happens to be in your life.