¿Catholic or not ... Just Semantics ?
Xiomara J. Pages
August 5, 2014
(This
article was written after reading a Posting
about Being Catholic that my youngest son JP wrote on his wall in Facebook and the
other Comments from different people and friends)
Usually when
people, and specially people I love and respect, get into a conversation about
Religion or Politics I am very careful
of what I say, and try to listen and respect everyone's point of view. But I
would like to add my two cents on this 'conversation'.
Catholicism,
or being Christian, is not very popular these days.
I was born in a Latin Country in the Caribbean, raised in a home with Catholic Foundations and much love and
care. My father was the eldest one of eight children to a
very practicing Catholic Mother...So, my parents were married by the Catholic
Church.....and although they didn't practice, my sister and I were baptized, took First Communion, Confirmation, etc. etc......
My Baptism, 1951
I married as
well by the Catholic Church like my sister...but it was not a practice at my
home to attend Church regularly, only in
Easter, Christmas, etc. or whenever we wanted to, and attended many times, I remember, to thank God for many good things that
happened to us, or to pray for the sick or the departed ones in the family. My Dad taught me to pray when I was about 3
years old , I still do every night, and as long as my parents lived we always asked for their parental Blessing.
I was not used to have confessions (although my Dad's godfather was a priest, Dad was not too sympathetic to the
Clergy ) and my practicing Catholic paternal grandmother would take us to mass, when she came to visit us in the city, or when we
spent
Summer vacation in her town. I grew up with very strong beliefs in God, in a very happy home with values and
morals, and respecting, serving and loving others.
When I met
the father of my children (who was then a practicing Catholic from childhood), we became friends and prior to be engaged and
be married, I started being a practicing Catholic like him....I did it with all my heart. I studied Bible courses, helped
and learned in different Church groups and retreats. There are things I don't agree with in the Catholic Church, but I respect it dearly. I don't attack nor
criticize.
I respect my friends and family members from
wherever they come from, in religious
terms. God respects our freedom, and gave me a mission, one of love for others,
accepting and loving, building and not destroying nor hating... however, I do understand very well, I cannot call myself Catholic, because I
stopped attending Church regularly some
time before my divorce.
My First Communion, June 5, 1957
So what I
say is...that I am a Christian (I believe in God, in Christ with all my heart and try to take Him with me in everything I
say or do) but it's more accurate to say, that I
was raised in a Catholic background,
practiced the religion fully and completely
before and during my 29-year
marriage, did a lot of great things for
the Church and with the Church, as the Church did for all of us as a
family...and now, after my divorce, I keep certain things, but I cannot call
myself a Catholic.. only that I
was raised and keep certain basic fundaments of Catholicism.. I don't attend a specific church at the present, I pray always, I am fully aware of
my friends and my family's needs and do all the good things I can for them and
others, thru my life, my
journalism and books, my
motivational speeches, my cultural and artistic groups,
etc. even what I post in my Facebook and my blog and website or my radio programs.
I take care of a 34-year
old daughter with a rare disorder from birth... people from different practices of Religion
come and visit us, pray with us, and
help us with physical and
emotional needs (money, incontinence supplies, nutrition shakes, singing, praying, etc), and only God is my strength to bear
everything difficult in my life and to
enjoy life to the fullest. I don't feel I am in sin, only that I chose to be away from the Rituals, the Mass,
@ the Catholic Church (although I attend mass sometimes if I want
to, the same way I visit the churches of
some of my friends as well).....because I am always doing my mission (God's
call to help or support everyone I meet,
everywhere, even in the streets, in my
path thru this life).
Xiomara con Sandra su hija, 2013.
I know many
people who say they are CATHOLICS, but they believe in Re-incarnation, or attend Yoruba rituals, or are Spiritualists, or go to Buddhism's
Meditations, or talk about Metaphysics, etc. I am fine with all of them, I respect
them, but I know
very well, a practicing Catholic do
not do these things, yet they call themselves Catholics
or even 'practicing Catholics".
I am glad I raised my
children in the Catholic Church
and taht
they attended Catholic Schools until High School... I am grateful for all the help I received from that Church in their raising....
Xiomara con su hijo menor JP,
Mayo, 2012
I pray for everyone. Now days I pray for Cuba, Venezuela, Ukraine, Israel and the innocents in Palestine
as well, for the Christians who are
persecuted throughout the world... and for so many other countries, I pray for peace in the world, and for every good thing
in the Planet or the Universe.....but
I also believe in democracy and
freedom, which I couldn't have in my
native land, and had to go thru a lot to come to United States of America and later
here to establish myself..... so I
respect everyone, But JP, my son, just posted a point on his Facebook wall,
about what it means to be Catholic...and
that
is not just Semantics.
That's all !!
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