FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

As I was sitting in Mass this week, I was there as merely a member of the congregation and not in my normal role as an accompanist. I was out of town and visiting the parish where my friend Denise is the Director of Music. I had the opportunity to really think about my faith. It really had very little to do with the readings, the music or the liturgy itself, although it all had a part. Actually, these thoughts have been bouncing back and forth in my head for quite some time, however, only now am I making the effort to actually sit down and sort them out in this manner.

My view of God has, I suppose, always been something that has been evolving, and something on which all of my friends agree with me. My view of God comes from a lifetime of faith. I grew up in a mostly Baptist family, at the age of fourteen was baptized in a Baptist church and went on to attend a Baptist college. While I was in college I had a great awakening spiritually. By the time I graduated, I had joined a United Methodist church and within another four years would find myself being confirmed Catholic. So, it is from a long line of spiritual traditions, mixed with my own beliefs, that I’ve come to view this force much larger than comprehension, God.

One of the most beautiful prayers I have ever heard was when I was attending the United Methodist church, when my associate pastor opened her prayer to “God, our Mother and our Father”. It was at that moment that something clicked. God is EVERYTHING. God does not embody a gender. God simply is. God is a Mother, a Father, a Sister, a Brother, a Friend, a Lover, and the list could go on forever, and still perhaps not even touch on the true nature and essence of who and what God is. I left church that day a changed person.

Spirituality has always been something I’ve questioned. Is Christianity THE only way to Heaven? Certainly I’m not an expert in the world’s religions, but I feel I have a good enough grasp on each of the basic concepts of the world’s major religious traditions that I can understand the point. It would seem that all the world’s religions overlap in their basic tenets. Seemingly, be we practicing Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism or any of a number of any of these traditions, have the goal of drawing us closer to the afterlife, to love one another and to devote ourselves to drawing closer to the “being” that dwells within our spirit.

Some of these concepts are hard to swallow. Some seem outright ridiculous. The ritualistic elements of some faith traditions may seem incredibly pompous and unnecessary to some, while extraordinarily comforting and peaceful to another. Speaking as a Catholic Christian, a “literal” interpretation of the scriptures seems off the wall to me. Still other Christians cling to each individual word. The truth of the matter is, probably none of us is 100% right, as it has evolved with the times and traditions throughout all of history.

So, why do we do what we do? Going along with the accepted “norm” is probably the main reason. We wouldn’t want to be thought unpopular or fanatic. However, once we get past all the labels, if we dare to take a long, hard look, we will likely find that we have more commonalities than differences.

Here’s my confession: The truth of the matter is that “religion” has evolved from the earliest of times. Arguing over whether or not the creation story is literal or figurative is futile. I believe in Jesus. I do believe, as crazy as it seems, that he did come to Earth, suffer and die to redeem me for my sins. Yes, it’s got to be one of the wackiest of all stories in all of history, but I believe it. Yet, on the other hand, I see absolute merit in the teaching of other “religions”. I have no problem confessing that I am absolutely, 100% a Cafeteria Catholic, picking and choosing the “Doctrines” that I believe to be beneficial to my life, to my relationship with the higher power. It’s a daily struggle to figure out exactly what I believe. It’s difficult. There are so many things to believe, so many voices to follow. Yet, I know that, at least for me personally, the practice of Christianity had made the most sense to me. It’s totally a faith thing. And, faith is not something we can touch. I haven’t even scratched the surface on this subject tonight. There will be more in the near future. I'll leave you with this thought...I think we all have more in common than we have diferences.