A new realization

There is no doubt that this was a great week in class.  Our first assignment was to look for the eight characteristics of the biblical narrative in the first 27 chapters of Genesis.  This proved to be very different for me because I thought this was going to be much easier for me since I had a great deal of Catholic school in my

growing years.  I was proven wrong because i realized that I never looked at the

bible as a great masterpiece of literature.  Therefore to read and see the bible through the literary lens was very interesting, yet challenging.  In addition, I thought I would have an advantage with my Catholic background but it is far different to

analyze the bible than to actually regard it as a reference point of history.

When I was a toddler, my mum told me that she was really surprised that I sat so quietly and still during the Sunday masses.  Unlike all the other toddlers and children ridden to the back of the church and separated by a glass partition due to their

lack of patience, I was always very present in my pew.  In retrospective, my mum realized that I was completely intrigued with all the movement and formal procedures.  It was almost like I was watching a performance on stage.  After all,

everybody was dressed in a robe of some sort.  And through the eyes of a child,

it looked very colorful, unique and opulent.  

In addition, there was always wonderful music that filled the very high ceiling.  If it was the early morning Sunday mass, the choral was always present.  Approximately twenty singers would rally together and joyfully jazz up some of the more classic hymns.  Saturday vigil mass or Sunday evening mass was substituted by guitar music and a soloist.  These masses had a more casual feeling than the morning Sunday masses.  Nonetheless, music was always present and began each mass as well as ended it.  It would not be a mass without some form of music and of course rejoicing.  

Dressing for mass was always a comforting routine.  We have gotten very casual in our days for attending mass; however, my mum never allowed jeans or denim.  Thus this was always a deliberating matter of what to wear.  I usually brought out

my usual black slacks or leggings with a dressier sweater.  However, I do recall that others definitely lacked in any sort of effort to look any better than attending a soccer match on a  rainy Saturday afternoon.  

I definitely enjoyed the donuts at the reception hall after mass.  I was always bewildered why we never had any delicious sweets in my Sunday catholic study classes.  Despite everyone always trying to be on better behavior than average, there was always a warm openness in class.  The nuns and priests as our teachers were always interesting and their presence added great formality and comforting tradition to the day.  This is probably one of the reasons that I truly find relaxation in religion class.  Not only is it fascinating, but there is definite structure in all different types of religion.  There are never any surprises, but a real system.

Perhaps why i really embraced being Catholic was probably the rigidness and the extreme set of rules and beliefs.  It is all very clear and no room for bending the rules or even questioning the rules.  It is hard and steadfast.  And this is how it has been for centuries.  Living in today's unpredictable world, it is always wonderful to know that some things just never and will not change.