The Catch

 “Did you catch mass?”  It was a phrase I might have heard as a boy when mass was said in Latin and there was no homily, no sermon.  Mass went by quickly, even if you were paying attention.  I always paid attention even before I was an altar boy.  Latin can be said very fast as most people did not understand it anyways so there was no reason to speak slowly for comprehension.  Some people used English missals with the Latin on a parallel page, so as to follow and know what was being said.  So you caught mass like you would catch a ball or a firefly.  It was quick and done.  Some people catch recovery meetings the same way.  Come late, leave early, talk to no one.  They “caught a meeting.”  If you eat in a hurry while focused onto something else you “catch a bite to eat.”  I try not to catch life.  It passes quickly enough as it is.  

Membership

 It seems to be a recent newsworthy phenomenon how many people are joining the Catholic Church this Easter.  What has been found in the past is that about half of those joining actually stay and practice their faith in worship gatherings after a year of joining.  It is a bit like having a library card but never using the library much less actually reading a book.  It is much the same with people who join recovery groups to stop some addictive behavior.  They may practice the steps or not for a while, go to a few meetings for a while and within a year are gone.  They might consider themself to be members, but without a practice like 12 steps and service at meetings.  For me, membership is work.  Sometimes I enjoy it and sometimes it is a bit of a burden, but feelings pass.  Trudge, if you must, but do it daily.  

Meals

 I notice in the Resurrection stories of the Gospels, Jesus seems to be eating or offering to eat with his disciples after he appears to them.  Eating together is a way to get to know one another, and to actually forgive one another for bad behavior.  Not eat and run, but eat and talk.  So you might ask yourself how often do you sit down and eat with someone in a leisurely fashion, and talk?  It can be a great way to work out differences or to make peace over some differences.  I have seen where people are in a room full of others in some common “spiritual” effort, but afterwards, a few go out to eat or have coffee, and talk.  The meeting after the meeting it is sometimes called.  You can live alone, but it does not mean you have to be alone.  

Baby Baptism

 Catholics have baby baptism.  It reminds me a bit of rehab programs.  Both can be experienced with some kicking and screaming.  The baby is immersed or has water poured over them, usually ice cold water.  The baby may kick and scream.  They just pooped in diaper, or want to be fed or want their nap.  The person entering rehab is reluctant to say the least.  But both purposes are accomplished.  The baby is Catholic and the person in rehab is dry, not drinking or drugging.  But then what?  The baby grows up and needs teachers, training, practice in order for the Catholic to grow in them and make them truly transformed adults.  There must be a daily practice and regular worship.  The rehab person must have mentors, a daily practice of recovery, meetings, when they get out of rehab.  What we have now unfortunately, is a lot of “used to be” persons.  I don’t want to be a used to be person, but I have to have a daily practice too.  

The Core Mission

 If you line up the four Gospel resurrection stories, they don’t match up completely.  Jesus appears but the details are not the same.  In one instance the disciples are supposed to go back home to Galilee where they will see Jesus. In another instance it says that all will begin from Jerusalem.  In another, he appears and shows them his hands and side.  In another he shows them his hands and feet.  Then there is Acts of the Apostles with some differences.  What to make of all this?  Well, there is the core belief, Jesus is Risen.  Then there are different experiences, emphasizes, memories of the core event, but the core event is the same.  Look at church.  Lots of differences in worship but the same core belief.  In Recovery, there are lots of different meeting styles but it is the same core belief and reason for being there.  Differences need not divide if we can hold onto the core belief.  The problem comes when we forget the core and argue over the way it is expressed.  Martyrdom can result from this.  

Heart Change

 A lot of people say they are Christian, that is, they believe Jesus is God.  But their faith remains in their heads, yet does not move to their hearts.  How so?  They don’t forgive so easily.  They hold grudges and resentments.  When Jesus rose from the dead, as Christians believe, he came to his surprised and terrified followers, who at that moment were not following at all, and said to them, “Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven.  Whose sins you retain, are retained.”  Jesus was forgiving them for their cowardice and betrayal, so they should do the same.  In recovery, people see others who are not drinking, and they may stop drinking themselves.  But that is not recovery, until it moves to the heart where one begins to forgive and let go of resentments.  You can go to church, synagogues, temples and meetings.  But this is but a start.  

Cactus

Become an aloe, like a cactus or aloe plant.  They grow in desert places, dry places and have the capacity to retain moisture to feed birds, air and soil.  They can even flower when least expected.  Prayer gives you the succulent of aloe which is a healer, just like the plant.  Your spiritual life practice can become of service to others who are short on soul-feeding.  So if you feel like life is a bit dry, and desert-like, keep at it.  Your Power is like aloe.  And it is for a purpose.