Easter Sunday

The Sister did a post on Easter Sunday. I can totally share her thoughts.

It's hard, sometimes, when you're brought up in a family that's been entrenched in a certain religion for a long time. And the Hogan family has always been Roman Catholic; I was a familiar face at church.

I remember a story Nanny told me once.... apparently, Nanny & Grandpop (I'd have loved to meet you, Granpop!) attended a RC church which was adjacent to a French RC church. And the Mass timings were staggered.

No, really. Staggered timings. Father would say Mass at one church at 10AM, for example, then rush over to do another Mass at 11am. Why? Because apparently the parishioners refused to mix. Was any one parish any better than the other? No, of course not. But humanity, oh how you show your baser qualities sometimes!

Hhhmmmmmm.

*tangent thought*

Lookit!
- I was baptised at one month.
- I did First Communion at 8.
- I did Confirmation at 14.
- I attended the Teenage Program until I was 16.
- Then went for Parish Renewal at 21.
(and I spent 10 years in CHIJ convents, thank you very much.)

The first few........ ok. It was foisted on me. The first 4 because hey! Catholic family! It's got to be done! You attend, you oogle the alter boys in church and you go for those weekend camps in haunted primary school grounds where no one gives a shit, really, about the spiritual direction of said retreats. (instead focusing on flirting with the boys and scaring yourself shitless with clandastine ghost-story sessions at 3am)

But the last. Parish renewal. I did that voluntarily. I was looking for God. I was hoping he would speak to me. I was hoping I would FEEL his presence. I was yearning for rebirth, a renewal of faith and love.

Nada. Nyet. Mei yo. Ziltch. Nothing.

So now I wander on my own; I speak to God occasionally, I still believe in him. But I've really turned my back on Church going - too many things wrong with the Militant Church.

You know what's ironic though?
If some idiot fundamentalist comes up to me and tries to preach, I'll just cut'em off with a curt "I'm Catholic". And considering that I haven't read the Bible for as long as I haven't been to Mass, I can quote enough to whack the proverbial shit out of you. (Decades of catechism classes aren't easy to forget. haha.)

Bottom line is that I believe every man's relationship with his God his private. You just have to believe - it's in your heart after all. You just have to try your best as humanly possibly.


Happy Easter. Go forth and do good things.