I
went to the lab to get some routine blood work done, and just to double
check, I asked which tests she was drawing blood for, although I new
some of them.
She said she didn't know because, technically, she's not allowed to see them, and she wasn't really supposed to tell me anyway.
Ugh.
Naturally,
my first thought was, "I'm giving my own blood and they can't tell me
what it is for?" I know, I get it. She's not supposed to know which
means there's nothing to tell me, but still.
I
was thinking about this whole idea of not being able to tell, in
regards to the process that people go through who come into the Catholic
Church. It's called RCIA, which stands for Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults.
While
it is a wonderful process, I have always been aware of how difficult it
is to encourage people to dedicate their time and energy to a process
that they will not really "get" until they go through it.
I
can tell you that you will learn so much (even if you choose not to
become Catholic), and that you will grow tremendously, spiritually. You
will bond with people who are going through the same process and build
community with so many people in the Church. If you have children,
they, too, will be positively impacted by you doing this. It is a
wonderful process where faith really blooms.
Through
this process, you can be baptized, or simply enter the Catholic Church
if you have already been baptized. Or, maybe you need to receive your
First Holy Communion or Confirmation; you will experience Reconciliation
by going to Confession (which is awesome--nothing to be afraid of.)
But
telling you this, without the benefit of your experiencing this
life-changing process, will just seem like words to you. It will seem
as if I am asking you to just add one more thing to your already
too-busy schedule.
You
really have no idea (you just can't know) that the RCIA process is one
of THE most important things you will choose to do and is well worth
your time and energy. It varies a little from parish to parish, but
typically it unfolds through weekly sessions where your questions can be
answered, or you can sit quietly and just absorb what is being covered.
If
you have ever had the feeling that there is more to life, or had a
sense that you are missing something, or that God might be calling you
closer to him, I would highly recommend going through this process.
As
I said, you can go through the process and decide for yourself whether
or not you want to come into the Catholic Church. Nobody's going to
pressure you, and going through the process does not commit you. We
work in God's time, and must respect that.
If
you have been through the process and would like to let others know
what it was like for you, please share your comments here.
Janet Cassidy
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