I Guess I'm Going to Hell

Pope Benedict's beer
Originally uploaded by Condemned Soul

Pope Benedict is from Germany, and an e-mail prankster has shown us his vision of inevitable changes in Holy Communion. I have to admit I laughed out loud.
This comes in the wake of a spirited discussion I had recently with a buddy who attends a local Assembly of God church. He asked me, with a straight face, if I believe Catholics are Christians. Days earlier a close friend who attends the same church asked me if it's true that Catholics are taught NOT to read the Bible. I wonder what they're teaching out there.
My response to each question was about the same. It was something along the lines of "That question, quite frankly, is so utterly preposterous that it borders on incomprehensible." I grew up Catholic and suffered significant ridicule because of it from the bigoted mouths of some of my Southern Baptist relatives.
There's a lot of disinformation being taught in "Christian" churches, but this is not my fight.
My lifelong best friend, a devout Roman Catholic, saw these mocked-up Pope images and wrote to me, "Just to let you know, I’m praying for your soul!!!"
In the end, that's really all I can ask for.

Pope Benedict XVI
Originally uploaded by drew_073

By the way, the Holy Father will make his first trip to the United States as Pope in April. He will celebrate mass in two baseball stadiums, the brand new Washington Nationals Park and Yankee stadium. Attendance won't be an issue. 46,000 seats will be available in Washington, D.C., and 57,000 will be available at New York City. Demand for tickets so far is essentially tripling capacity.
There may actually be scalpers. It would be pure profit, too. The Church won't charge admission for mass!
Since we're having Church With The Big Guy at the ballpark, beer and pretzels might be appropriate after all. I mean, who says he can only consecrate wine and wafers? Peanuts and Cracker Jacks can't be far behind.
Sing along: Take me out to the ball game, Take me out to the mass..."

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Growing Up in the Church

This time of year, people have a tendency to take stock of their religious beliefs. Conversations about what we believe have popped up in diverse contexts for me lately. My son said he engaged in a robust discussion at work about creationism vs. evolution. I recently attended a Roman Catholic mass and an Episcopal Eucharist in the same day, leading to internal conflicts about communion. My daughter has been spending a lot of time with some friends who are active in an evangelical Christian church.
It can all be very confusing when church has always been a part of your life. I went to Catholic schools for twelve years. I was an altar boy as far back as I can remember, and a lector after that. I married the daughter of an Episcopalian priest, and so I shifted a little left in the late 1980's and became a lay eucharistic minister in her church.
My kids were baptized in that church, and both have been confirmed there. My in-laws' roots run deep there. My wife's grandfather, an architect, designed the place. It was my father-in-law's base when he went to seminary. So, it is in many ways a home for our family. I don't even really grasp the depth of it, because my kids are fourth-generation members. I'm still a newcomer.
Now, we are in the holiday season. I know there are different ways to express greetings this time of year. For me, one way is best: Merry Chistmas! Sometimes, you have have to go with what you know.

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