My mother once told me that Religion is personal to everyone, more personal than their toothbrush. I believe it, which is why I never argue Religion or politics.
When I started school it was a Catholic school that was a good 30 minute bus-ride from where I lived. It was a mile-and-a-quarter walk to the bus stop (No, not uphill both ways in a snow storm!)
Every day before class started we would attend mass. Every day. We (the boys) had to wear dark blue slacks, light blue shirts, dark blue ties and black shoes. The girls had to wear these awful plaid jumpers.
For Sunday mass the whole family would go to the little church at then end of my grandmother’s street. She was the Organist/Choir Director for the church so we’d wend our way up the small set of stair to the choir loft and kiss her on the cheek as she finished playing the processional.
At that time in my life, religion was like gravity – it was there but I didn’t really think about it. I was going through the motions. This covered kindergarten through 4th grade.
When I was the last of my siblings to still be living at home, since I was the youngest, my mother made me go to church every Sunday morning… no matter how late I was up on Saturday night. I liked listening to the music. We had a really good Organist who liked to make a spectacle of the music and the choir and I really appreciated it.
Church music is usually clean and uncluttered with easy chord progressions and few time signature changes. They even provided books with the sheet music so you could follow along.
When I went into the Army right after high school, I attended church regularly. So regular that I was doing readings, responsorial psalms and passing the collection basket around. The masses were usually sparse but it was nice to see officers and enlisted men be equalized by their faith.
So here I was the only man to regularly attend church from my whole battery (of 500 men) and I was the one who got stuck working CQ (Charge of Quarters) on Easter Sunday. I can still see all the guys standing outside the office in their dress uniforms waiting to pack into the tiny church. There were only two masses that day and I was unable to attend either.
Side note: CQ is basic office duty. You answer the phones, you type up paperwork, you monitor alarms, you fill out reports, etc.
After the military, I did some drifting… mostly drifting away. I call this time in my life the ‘slacker period’. I grew my hair long, spent a LOT of my time alone, watched TV, listened to music and did some writing. I drifted away from religion, too.
When I left my job at the end of 2007, I panicked a little. I’m the kind of person who likes to know where his next check is coming from. When I was drifting, my parents were covering my expenses (and riding me like a rented mule, trust me). Years before, my mother implored me to return to the church but I felt like I didn’t need it. Losing a job can make one see things differently.
I was hoping it was going to calm me down – and it did. I was hoping it would restore my faith – but I’m not quite there. I was hoping it would help me see that my plight is not so bad – that’s worked pretty well. It has also helped my heart feel better. My life is nowhere near where I want it to be and church helps me see things in a better light. (Yes, I know how corny that sounds).
The part that always got me about religion is the sheer number of people who believe. There’s a saying that goes “if 100 people tell you you’re dead, lay down”. It’s hard to ignore when millions of people believe in some sort of deity. Logically, I needed to find out what they were up to although I will admit to being a bit of a ‘Cafeteria Catholic’ – one who picks and chooses which of the rules to follow and which ones to ignore.
The churches I appreciated most were the ones that had the most discipline. The church I go to now has hard wooden pews that are totally uncomfortable – and I like it that way. Some of the music they play tends to be a bit on the ‘revival’ side for my tastes but I’m okay with it because it doesn’t happen very often.
My social fears are tested during the “Our Father” because everyone in the place holds hands with their neighbor while reciting or singing the prayer. Growing up, we never did that.
Overall, I feel good about going to mass – I prefer the 5:30 mass on Saturday night versus the 9am or 11am masses on Sunday. I haven’t yet missed all 3 masses and had to go to another church in town. The Monsignor of the church will be retiring soon so we’ll be getting a new priest. I’m used to that because the church I went to with my parents was a Navy chapel and they rotated new priest through once every 3 years.
I hope this little discussion has not swayed your religious convictions one way or another – that was not my intent. I do hope it gives you a little insight into my soul.
When I started school it was a Catholic school that was a good 30 minute bus-ride from where I lived. It was a mile-and-a-quarter walk to the bus stop (No, not uphill both ways in a snow storm!)Every day before class started we would attend mass. Every day. We (the boys) had to wear dark blue slacks, light blue shirts, dark blue ties and black shoes. The girls had to wear these awful plaid jumpers.
For Sunday mass the whole family would go to the little church at then end of my grandmother’s street. She was the Organist/Choir Director for the church so we’d wend our way up the small set of stair to the choir loft and kiss her on the cheek as she finished playing the processional.
At that time in my life, religion was like gravity – it was there but I didn’t really think about it. I was going through the motions. This covered kindergarten through 4th grade.
When I was the last of my siblings to still be living at home, since I was the youngest, my mother made me go to church every Sunday morning… no matter how late I was up on Saturday night. I liked listening to the music. We had a really good Organist who liked to make a spectacle of the music and the choir and I really appreciated it.
Church music is usually clean and uncluttered with easy chord progressions and few time signature changes. They even provided books with the sheet music so you could follow along.
When I went into the Army right after high school, I attended church regularly. So regular that I was doing readings, responsorial psalms and passing the collection basket around. The masses were usually sparse but it was nice to see officers and enlisted men be equalized by their faith.So here I was the only man to regularly attend church from my whole battery (of 500 men) and I was the one who got stuck working CQ (Charge of Quarters) on Easter Sunday. I can still see all the guys standing outside the office in their dress uniforms waiting to pack into the tiny church. There were only two masses that day and I was unable to attend either.
Side note: CQ is basic office duty. You answer the phones, you type up paperwork, you monitor alarms, you fill out reports, etc.
After the military, I did some drifting… mostly drifting away. I call this time in my life the ‘slacker period’. I grew my hair long, spent a LOT of my time alone, watched TV, listened to music and did some writing. I drifted away from religion, too.When I left my job at the end of 2007, I panicked a little. I’m the kind of person who likes to know where his next check is coming from. When I was drifting, my parents were covering my expenses (and riding me like a rented mule, trust me). Years before, my mother implored me to return to the church but I felt like I didn’t need it. Losing a job can make one see things differently.
I was hoping it was going to calm me down – and it did. I was hoping it would restore my faith – but I’m not quite there. I was hoping it would help me see that my plight is not so bad – that’s worked pretty well. It has also helped my heart feel better. My life is nowhere near where I want it to be and church helps me see things in a better light. (Yes, I know how corny that sounds).
The part that always got me about religion is the sheer number of people who believe. There’s a saying that goes “if 100 people tell you you’re dead, lay down”. It’s hard to ignore when millions of people believe in some sort of deity. Logically, I needed to find out what they were up to although I will admit to being a bit of a ‘Cafeteria Catholic’ – one who picks and chooses which of the rules to follow and which ones to ignore.
The churches I appreciated most were the ones that had the most discipline. The church I go to now has hard wooden pews that are totally uncomfortable – and I like it that way. Some of the music they play tends to be a bit on the ‘revival’ side for my tastes but I’m okay with it because it doesn’t happen very often.
My social fears are tested during the “Our Father” because everyone in the place holds hands with their neighbor while reciting or singing the prayer. Growing up, we never did that.
Overall, I feel good about going to mass – I prefer the 5:30 mass on Saturday night versus the 9am or 11am masses on Sunday. I haven’t yet missed all 3 masses and had to go to another church in town. The Monsignor of the church will be retiring soon so we’ll be getting a new priest. I’m used to that because the church I went to with my parents was a Navy chapel and they rotated new priest through once every 3 years.
I hope this little discussion has not swayed your religious convictions one way or another – that was not my intent. I do hope it gives you a little insight into my soul.