Last week Turo was baptized. He is now an official Catholic. I, on the other hand, am not. I’m not really anything (gasp). I was raised to believe in the beauty of the world, in treating others with love and kindness, but we didn’t go to church, we didn’t follow any particular faith. I went to church with my cousins from time to time and once or twice with my dad at Easter. As I grew older, I became wary of organized religion and the hurtful, discriminatory things it often seemed to support. So, I didn’t have a reason or a desire to go to church. Until Jose.
Jose is Catholic. His family is Catholic. Both his brothers married Catholics. And then there is me. After we started dating, I began going to church once and awhile with Jose. Once I understood the basics, I began to like going to Mass. I enjoy the ritual of it. The history of it. I like that you can go to Mass anywhere and you know what to expect. It’s comforting. I like having that time to be reflective. To think of things greater than me, to think of others. I can get behind the teachings of Jesus. Even so, I’m not going to become Catholic. I’m just not able to make that jump.
But I wanted Turo to be baptized and raised with a Catholic perspective (and getting to this place of acceptance has taken me awhile). It’s an important part of Jose’s life, of his history. I also know that we will be open with him about the less rosy parts of religion, and we will expose him to other beliefs, including Ethiopian ones. I know we will encourage the Big questions and be truthful in our answers. And that we will be okay even when these answers might differ depending to whom he is talking.
Jose is Catholic. His family is Catholic. Both his brothers married Catholics. And then there is me. After we started dating, I began going to church once and awhile with Jose. Once I understood the basics, I began to like going to Mass. I enjoy the ritual of it. The history of it. I like that you can go to Mass anywhere and you know what to expect. It’s comforting. I like having that time to be reflective. To think of things greater than me, to think of others. I can get behind the teachings of Jesus. Even so, I’m not going to become Catholic. I’m just not able to make that jump.
But I wanted Turo to be baptized and raised with a Catholic perspective (and getting to this place of acceptance has taken me awhile). It’s an important part of Jose’s life, of his history. I also know that we will be open with him about the less rosy parts of religion, and we will expose him to other beliefs, including Ethiopian ones. I know we will encourage the Big questions and be truthful in our answers. And that we will be okay even when these answers might differ depending to whom he is talking.
In the end, Jose & I want the same thing for Turo. We want him to grow up to be a loving, happy, kind and compassionate man. It seems to be to our advantage that we have multiple ways of helping him on this journey.
1 comment:
It's funny how worlds collide...I had a Catholic encounter this week that made me think of this post. Can't wait to see you!
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