Anyways, moving on.
Relationships and friendships move much more slowly in the "real world." I suppose it's because I can't see my friends every day, or really even every week in most cases. I see my colleagues every day, so if I worked somewhere that I had colleagues who I wanted to be friends with (FOCUS/anything with the Church), I suppose that wouldn't be the case. I live in the suburbs because I work in the suburbs. I'm not willing to drive 30 miles and fight traffic for an hour to get to work each day. I don't need that kind of stress in my life. One of the trade offs though, is that I don't know many faithful Catholics my age who aren't married or married with children. There are young adult groups at my Parish and also at the Parish where I attend daily Mass twice a week. But their events are often at the same time as daily Mass, and if I'm given the choice, I need Jesus more than I need them. It's not that I'd feel guilty going to one of those events instead of Mass, it's that I legitimately prefer going to Mass. I've skipped daily Mass before to go to dinner with some couple friends of mine, I do think that Christian Community is important enough to miss an occasional daily Mass for. But I only have the ability to go a few times per week, so usually when I can go, I go. I'm terribly in need of the grace of the Eucharist to make it through the week. Why can't these events happen after Mass? Or why can't an organic community form from among the daily Mass goers and evolve into something that provides an opportunity for that Christian Community? God is big enough to make it happen, so I'm going to keep praying for it, trusting Him that slowly and surely He will bring it about. I think it's worth waiting for and being faithful to Him.
What do you think?
St. Isidore, pray for us.
All you holy men and women, angels and saints of God, pray for us.
This may sound very bad, but I think that if you want to spend most of your time at Mass the convent is where you belong. If you believe you are called to a vocation to marriage you have to be spending time with people who could potentially fulfill that vocation with you. If they're not at Mass then it seems as though you are choosing the religious life (which isn't a bad thing, it's just not marriage, if that's what you think you're callled to). Is that wrong to say?
ReplyDeleteBrittany, I think you are just where you need to be... It is hard when you're looking for community and not seeing it in the mass... I've felt like I want to be friends with people who are like-minded, and if they are like-minded, they should be at mass too? Dramatic? Anyway, there aren't really any young adult Catholic things in my area, so I've been going to nondenominational stuff. So I still can encounter Jesus in the mass, and I can have community, too. It's not ideal, but it's where I am right now.
ReplyDeleteThings just don't always make sense, Brittany. I don't think that just because you like to go to mass, you are called to the convent. We need holy families as much as we need holy nuns. You definitely spend time with people outside mass-you volunteer, help with the youth, go out with your work friends, hang out with Ciara.
If there is anything I have learned, it is that God doesn't make sense to me! I know that isn't very comforting or encouraging. But people tell me that God is real and He is not a liar. If He has put that desire in your heart for marriage, He will bring it to fruition as He desires (which means I won't anticipate it or probably like it). You are placing yourself in Jesus' presence, and you listen.