Protection

Have you ever thought about the people you know, or those you meet at work or in social situations, in terms of the built-in level of protection they have in their lives? Having been a psychiatric social worker & a therapist for quite some time, I have thought extensively about this. Being in a role like that is an honor; one gets to see into the lives of others from an "up close and personal" vantage point. When I was younger, what I saw often surprised or even 'floored' me.

To be succinct, I spent much time assisting individuals who did not begin to have the advantages that an understanding of Christ, and the deeper reasons behind 'the rules' of the Catholic Church, provided. People got into many harrowing situations: a woman moving in with a man, for instance, with no commitment. I saw so much pain from this: broken hearts when the man dumped them; depression because of the risks, sexually, that only the woman took, while the man was carefree; the supportive services that the woman supplied & the man took, and benefitted from, with nary a "thank you!"; and complications at the urgency of a child born with the daddy having fled to less demanding circumstances.

All of this has become so common that society at large seems to simply accept that this is how we live now. However, Christ taught against this type of lifestyle, and the Church agrees. It is so horrid to bring this up to others because one is usually, then, put down as some kind of dinosaur-freak. But what I see is that Christ wanted us to live free ~ free from hurt, harm, and true inequality. Few experiences are as unequal as a woman doing much of the work, carrying all the risk and, with pregnancy, all the load, in any relationship. The nuns in Catholic school taught me this, saying essentially, "You can either accept what we tell you now - how to live a happy life WITH protection, as God designed; or you can find out the truth the hard way." I saw repeatedly that individuals did not realize that Biblical admonitions & Church teachings were designed to help us protect ourselves from harm!

I feel deep gratitude for the many instructions & warnings that the Sisters of Mercy gave us. Also, I yearn for the time when more - no, ALL - children will be taught these principles and given these gifts, the blessings of a life of faith.

Give Me Where to Stand...

I was 6 years old when my parents decided to move from Vancouver, B.C., to the U.S. It was a jarring move for me: no good-byes to my aunt, uncle and cousins; no farewell to my school, the very kindly Sisters, or my classmates; and no “please write to me!” exchanged with little friends in the neighborhood. To me, the fact that the U.S. had sidewalks was enough justification for this gigantic move. Ah, kids…..

In the middle of the night, my 20 year old brother leaned over my low-lit bed and said, “Catherine, I’m going now to France.” With that, he kissed me and he was gone. I felt unsettled, vaguely afraid. But, the sun rose and I was in my room, surrounded by all of my toys. “Catherine, you have 20 minutes. Choose the toys you want to bring to the U.S. Hurry!” said my mother. Huh? Well all right, I tried to pick some, & then my thoughts wandered…. She returned to the room, annoyed. “We have no more time! Here's your stuffed dog; we are going to America!” With that, she closed the front door to the house, we got into a taxicab, and were off. 

When we reached the edge of Vancouver, she told me, “Say good-bye to Canada now, Catherine. You won’t see it again for a very long time.” I waved at the tall buildings gleaming in the sun, and at the water in the distance. We boarded a train for California; and I recall her being cranky the whole way along.

The next day, my dear, irreligious father secured an apartment at our destination, having made an agreement with the Catholic School Principal that, if he had an address by 5:00 p.m., I would be enrolled in Grade 2. We all met at the train station in California, and the landscape was entirely different, as were the people’s accents, and the pace of life. We went home to a dinky apartment on the main drag.

The following day, my mother brought me into the Church. It was a huge place: a very high ceiling, gorgeous stained glass windows glinting in the sunlight, with a red carpet rolled down the nave to the altar. Blinking, I was awestruck, and I wondered why we were here. My mother, however, was focused on other things. She looked straight ahead, toward the Altar, and I felt her stiffen. There were no other people in the Church, and the stillness and lack of sound felt comfortingly peaceful. 

She took my hand and walked, determinedly, up the center aisle, looking all the while directly ahead. I wondered what the heck she was doing. We reached the front of the altar rail and she stopped, standing silent in front of a huge crucifix of Jesus, in a beautiful gold setting with a green silky backdrop. We stood for what seemed an eternity. “Catherine,” she began, “Jesus loves you. You are very special to Him. You are a child, and Our Lord loves children the most.” I thought, ‘Why?’ She went on: “You can always speak to Him and He will hear you.” We both gazed up for long moments at Him, hanging there and looking miserable and hurt. She continued, “No matter what happens to you, and no matter what wrong you may do in your life, Remember This: He loves you so very much. You can always come here and He will help you. You must never be afraid.” 

Wow! She had shaken my World. At that moment, in a foreign land where I had few familiar "comforts of home", and where I knew only 2 people; here He was, the same as He’d been in Canada. I felt safe in His Presence, as we went into a pew and my mother knelt to pray, to connect with Him. She had an important relationship with Him; that much I knew. He sustained her. I could see it. It had always been this way. She had peace. She had certainty. And she knew she was both safe and loved. It was always like that. 

She had given me a Place to Stand, a Hand to Guide me, and a Road Map, at such an uncertain and difficult time. And I never forgot. My mother is deceased today, but I would like to express my gratitude to her and to God, for this most profound gift with which she equipped me so long ago. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of my mother and her faith, shared. May she rest peacefully now, in your arms. As for me, I know that most children are not so fortunate, and I am so very grateful.

Lent Cartoon Jesus in the Desert

Here is an inspiring & thought-provoking 5 minute video (please turn on your speakers!) about how much Jesus Christ loves us. I find it quite moving, and hope you will enjoy it!

For those who are on dial-up, or who have slower computers, I'd suggest watching this perhaps at the the home of a friend, or at the library. You can copy down my blog address in the 'www' window above, & bring it to the library when you like ~ it's free, and I think you may find the effort to be well worth it. :)

Gratitude

Welcome! In this blog I intend to reflect on & to express my gratitude for the enormous influence that the Catholic Church has had, in forming me into the person I am today. I came to know Jesus Christ through the Church; and while the institution itself is not perfect, it is rich beyond words, with love, acceptance, forgiveness, charity, and clarity of the good road that one can choose to take in life. It is mainly via the Church's influence that I have come to understand what the important pitfalls in life are; and thus, to have been blessed with an ability and a true choice to have avoided many of them.

I see around me, on a daily basis, the results of lives that are not connected with Christ, or with any Christian influence, or even with God. It has become so very clear that suffering, on a grand and tragic scale, has been the result for so many people. Having had a career in the healing arts, I feel this pain deeply. And I know that life does not have to be this way! I so wish that I could, in some way, give others what the Church, and above all, Jesus Christ, has given me: 'eyes to see & ears to hear'; that is, the clear vision of how to live a good life in this world. Saving grace, you might call it, in that to see clearly is to avert so much pain and suffering.

It is with tremendous gratitude that I share, and ask for reader's sharing as well, on the gifts we have received from Jesus Christ Our Lord, through the benevolent love of the Catholic ~ and in general, the Christian ~ Church.