Sent Forth to Serve

Photo courtesy of http://catholicmanhattan.blogspot.com

My local parish turns 125 years old this year, with a special celebration taking place on Sunday. I had thought about returning to Catholicism for years. It is the religion of my birth, and as such it holds a dear place in my heart. I went through the rites of passage growing up, and then I went out into the world.

Me with my Grandfather on Communion Day

I'd often felt conflicted about the views of Catholicism I encountered through popular culture. There's the wacky demon-hunting movies and t.v. shows (fun as they are, I'm not sure they're accurate or good press), wild stories of dramatic exorcisms, and awful, heart-breaking accounts of clerical abuses towards children and other parishioners. Quite the dim view. Not to mention the urban disdain one encounters in the working world as an adult—it's as if any person of faith is some naive rube led to believe through cultish brain-washing techniques that a spooky old man somewhere in the sky is looking down upon us in sour judgement.

Me on Confirmation Day

And yet, none of it reconciled with my real life experiences. Naturally, as an artist, I'd always been drawn to our churches and art. Many of the historical masters I studied in school drew heavily from Christian traditions as inspiration. For me, cathedrals are sacred spaces that serve as beacons we utilize to tune into our spirit, and tap into the greater good, the source from which we all sprang—the Creator of life, the Big Bang that set off a chain of events so powerful, we are still hurtling through space at a speed unfathomable to the human imagination. What is there not to be thankful for?

As we travel on this planet together, through the enormous universe around us, let us stop and think about the many blessings we have. Enjoy the ride.

Photo courtesy of St. Francis Xavier

 I Just Want To See His Face
The Rolling Stones
That's all right, that's all right, 
that's all right.
Sometimes you feel like trouble, 
sometimes you feel down.
Let this music relax your mind, 
let this music relax your mind.
Stand up and be counted, can I get a witness.
Sometimes you need somebody, 
if you have somebody to love.
Sometimes you ain't got nobody and you want somebody to love.
Then you don't want to walk and talk about Jesus,
You just want to see his face.
You don't want to walk and talk about Jesus,
You just want to see his face.

http://www.stfxbrooklyn.org/