Breathing my Mind into Your Face

The family is settling back in at home for the lazy part of our Sunday. I’ll be watching the Celtics game, wife reading on the porch, and kids watching some adult play video games. It’s Easter so it’s one of the two days a year we go to church. We usually go to the Methodist church in the old suburb where we lived before the kids started school. I used to get a beer or coffee once in a while with the pastor to chat about life. He is the most kind-hearted dude I’ve ever known. He makes friends everywhere he goes with his ability to breathe you in with his compassionate eyes and approachable air. He didn’t mind that I wasn’t buying the creation story or the resurrection. He chooses to believe despite what the science says. 

I went to Catholic school most of my life. My Grandma on my Mom’s side was a Catholic school teacher and daily mass goer. I had every book in the bible, sacrament, commandment, station of the cross, and prayer (at least the top five) memorized at one point. It never made me feel anything though. It was just something I had to do in school. Church was a time to daydream and stare at hotties. I sided with reason because I didn’t experience the love faith was supposed to make me feel. Even as a youngin I knew that Jesus didn’t really rise from the dead. I still think the bible is a bunch of well-intended parables not to be taken literally. Early in life I thought church was stupid because if those people believed all that stuff in the bible then they must be dumb. Later I thought church was stupid because of all the people that just went because they were supposed to but lived lives absent of the lessons taught in the bible. I don’t think that anymore. I don’t care what people think when they think of their religion. It’s theirs not mine. If a guy is hitting church every Sunday but also hitting the streets in search of sin, big deal. 

It’s not necessary for something to have literally happened in real life to believe in it. I can believe that Jesus was an awesome example of the courage required to demonstrate love for all in the face of abounding hate. Church is an opportunity for me to strive for strong moral principles, unconditional love, and service to others. By being around church it’s way easier because they have a nonstop supply of helpful shit you can do that they’re always talking about.  I never feel like I’m doing enough to help others, probably because I only go twice a year! So what if many of the people there also believe Jesus came out of a virgin, died, resurrected, then floated up to heaven to wait for an eventual return when the time is right. Oh, hey Jesus…it’s time.