Over-Talk

 I wonder if the reason that so many Catholic grade school children drop out of the church or drift off from sacraments, is because they experienced their religion as over-verbalized and under-experienced.  They parade into the school mass, go to assigned seats, with their teacher’s eye balls on the back of their neck, and act attentive, or else.  Then they hear lots of words about stuff, God, Jesus, Church, Rules, Doctrine, but experience in the heart not so much.  My best experiences of God always seemed to come when I searched and usually alone rather than with any group.  If not alone, then in more singular moments, the hoped for but unexpected experience.  It would happen when I would visit a quiet church or walk in a wood, or park.  Maybe a moment when I was serving mass as a altar boy, a quiet, weekday mass without fanfare.  The monastery has so many of these quiet, singular moments.  Or a one on one encounter with another person, maybe when I would go to anoint a sick/dying person and no one was around to watch.  Experiences can never be coerced.