The Light and the Spirit

Religious 2 Minutes

I do not honestly remember sitting in church when i was a child, but my mom claims pictures of the four of us, her and my dad, my older sister and I dressed in our Sunday clothes is proof that we did. When I was 5, two things happened simultaneously: my brother was born and we moved in with my great grandmother to care for her.

It was at this point, our church going stopped. We still said grace at every meal, still said our evening prayers, but no formal religious instruction. Instead, we learned about God through our parents and He was always a loving, patient Father.

Perhaps that’s why i ignored Him for the most part till I was 17. My first “real” boyfriend asked me one weekend to accompany him to church and I did. I sat enthralled in the church pew, listening to the sermon, singing the hymns…I wanted more! After the service, greeting the Priest at the door, I asked where could I learn more and he talked to me about adult catechism classes. After taking those classes, he explained, I could take another step in my journey towards God…taking my First Holy Communion on Easter Sunday.

I took the classes in earnest, learning about my faith and the sacraments, and prepared to take the final steps–meeting with the Priest one on one, making my first confession and doing my penance. The meeting with the Priest was relaxed, comforting, and welcoming and he guided me in making a good confession which was to occur on Good Friday.

That morning, entering the confessional, I was nervous. The class instructor provided a printed confession process for us, so the basic mechanics were covered…the rest was up to me. I made my confession, received my penance and went into the church. Part of my penance was to recite so many “Our Father’s”, “Hail Mary’s” and “Glory Be’s” which I did all the while concentrating on how sorry I was to have offended God.

When I entered the church that morning, the sky was cloudy, but now as I left the church, a beam of sunlight broke through. I looked upward and felt the sunshine on my face as expected, but what i did not expect was the enveloping feeling of warmth and love. I felt it from my feet all throughout my body–it was the Holy Spirit of this i have no doubt!

Days later I was describing the feeling to my aunt and we were talking about the entire experience. I told her I wanted to question the Priest the coming Sunday about my penance…saying Our Father or Hail Mary x amount of times seemed silly. She asked me–you said the entire prayer each time, right? My mortified face told her no, I did not! (Our classes centered around beliefs, but not basic things they assumed everyone knew.)

I left work early that day and drove straight to the church to see the Priest. In tears I told him about my mistake and was so upset that I took my Holy Communion under false pretenses. I was afraid I would never be allowed to participate again, but he assured me I could confess again IF I felt I needed to, but it’s not just the deeds that God pays attention to. It’s also what’s in our heart…our intent. When I was doing my penance, my intent was to be sorry for my sins and the Priest said that was quite evident.

His attitude, along with my parents’ own views have helped shape my view of God. I am not in the fearful of a vengeful God crowd…I believe in a loving, patient, welcoming Father.

Unknown's avatar

Published by pat frederick

Published

36 thoughts on “The Light and the Spirit”

  1. Morning, Pat! I’ve written many times about the evolution of my faith so I’ll not repeat that. I was baptized at birth in the Lutheran church that was founded in 1867 by my ancestors but, in the years before I was adopted, attending church was rare. After I was adopted, I attended Parochial school and my butt was in that pew, whether I liked it or not, EVERY Sunday without fail – I don’t ever recall being sick enough to get out of church on Sunday or any Church holiday, for that matter.

    On Easter Sunday in 1974, I was feeling especially guilty – my parents had to rescue me from a really bad relationship with an abusive drunk that spring, after which I discovered that I was pregnant. Abortion was NOT something that was discussed openly either in school or church. My parents convinced me the best course of action was an abortion and took me a clinic in Omaha.

    Weeks later, Easter Sunday came around and I went to church that day carrying a VERY heavy load of guilt. As with you, it was a cloudy, blustery day when I entered the church. Greeting me at the door was the Father of my first-ever boyfriend (to whom I would eventually become engaged) with a big smile, rushing out to throw his arms around me, and welcoming me home. I cried during the service that day.

    When we left the church that Easter Sunday, the clouds had blown away and it was a bright, sunny, brilliant day in the world! I always carried a residual of that guilt, however, and was fearful, when we were trying to get pregnant with HB, that He wouldn’t allow me to have another child. When I did get pregnant with HB, I knew then that God had, indeed, forgiven me.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Hmmm…….

    EXCERPT: “Whether these claims were wildly optimistic or simply outright fabrications will be determined at a later date, but it is now clear that the operation to recover whatever remained of the Moskva after its explosion and fire completely failed. Russian state news agency TASS said Thursday night: “The missile cruiser “Moskva” sank while being towed to its destination in a storm due to damage to the hull received due to a fire from the detonation of ammunition.”

    Should Ukraine’s claim to have been the author of the sinking be true, however, the loss of the Movska to their shore missile batteries represents the greatest combat loss of a warship in decades, and quite possibly since the Second World War. The Pentagon hasn’t confirmed whether the strike was by Ukraine, but a Pentagon spokesman said “It’s certainly plausible and possible”, the BBC reported.”

    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/04/15/russian-cruiser-sinks-ukraine-claims-victory-in-potentially-greatest-naval-battle-in-decades/

    Liked by 1 person

  3. EXCERPT: “A World War II-era destroyer near downtown Buffalo, New York, was taking on water Thursday but not all hope was lost. “Crews were working to keep the USS The Sullivans from sinking at its berth at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, where it had been open for tours,” CBS News reported.

    In a social media post Thursday morning, the United States Coast Guard Sector Buffalo shared photos of the ship leaning dangerously to the side, noting officials were working to locate the source of the flooding so they could “de-water” the vessel:

    “We’ve got a committed group down here. We’re not going to give up the ship and failure is not an option,” declared park president Paul Marzello. He noted there may have been a breach on the hull’s right side the night before, adding crews were pumping out nearly 13,000 gallons every minute. “I think we’ve seen the worst, but I don’t know,” he commented. Aerial video footage showed the USS The Sullivans sinking in the water as crews assessed the situation:
    ————————-
    The Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park website said the USS The Sullivans was an excellent example of the Fletcher-class Destroyer, “the largest and most important class of U.S. Destroyers used in World War II.”

    FB pics: https://www.breitbart.com/local/2022/04/14/video-efforts-underway-save-wwii-destroyer-taking-water/

    Liked by 1 person

        1. Hi Filly

          They really don’t want him owning it. So its clear the theory’s are true.

          And of course who cares if what they are doing is legal or not

          Liked by 1 person

  9. Good evening y’all! Was pedal to the metal since the crack of dawn on the garden and boy did it pay off. Extended our ground bed by about 100′ sq.! Got all of my yard and the back side of my great uncles cut today! Pat, I love singing the Hymns too! Dear wife and I were in choir at Church until they gave in to the Covid nonsense. Miss it bad. I am a Baritone, but fill in on the Tenor parts mostly since my range is higher.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Years ago when I was a kid, my younger brother and sister came to my dad’s for Easter and my dog got a bunny that morning! My bother and I tortured my lil sis and told her the dog got the Easter Bunny. She was devastated and Dad was not pleased!

      Liked by 2 people

  14. EXCERPT: “A Department of Homeland Security investigation into Del Rio Sector Horse Patrol Unit agents determined no wrongdoing occurred. The results came six months after DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas promised a speedy investigation into the agents wrongly accused of whipping migrants. A source close to the investigation informed Breitbart Texas the Border Patrol expects the official report of findings to be delivered shortly.

    Secretary Mayorkas initially promised the investigation would be completed in “days, not weeks.” The investigation dragged on and although the Border Patrol has been informed of the findings, the official results have yet to be delivered, according to a source operating under U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In the interim, the Border Patrol agents wrongly accused remain on administrative duties.”

    https://www.breitbart.com/border/2022/04/14/completed-dhs-investigation-clears-maligned-horse-mounted-border-patrol-agents-says-source/

    Liked by 1 person

  15. EXCERPT: “Kari Lake—the self-proclaimed “only conservative” in the race for Arizona governor—volunteered to knock doors for the Obama campaign while she worked as a news anchor, according to a former colleague.

    Last month, Lake’s longtime Fox 10 Phoenix colleague told former Pinal County sheriff Paul Babeu (R.) that Lake “went door to door canvassing for Barack Obama” during her time at the network, Babeu told the Washington Free Beacon. The former colleague, who requested anonymity to speak freely, confirmed that the conversation with Babeu took place and said the allegation about Lake’s work for Obama emerged in the Fox 10 newsroom after Lake announced her candidacy for governor. Her Republican campaign has shocked coworkers given her political activity while at the network.

    The allegation that Lake knocked on doors for a Democratic presidential candidate is at odds with her rhetoric on the campaign trail, where Lake has positioned herself as the “only conservative, America First Trump Republican in the race.” It is not, however, surprising given her past political activity—the Free Beacon reported last year that Lake in 2004 made her first ever political contribution to then-Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Four years later, in 2008, Lake registered as a Democrat and contributed to Obama’s first presidential campaign.

    According to Lake’s former colleague, Lake campaigned for Obama with Stephanie Angelo, who in 2008 was married to a different Fox 10 colleague, Troy Hayden. A veteran Arizona Democratic operative who was working in the state in 2008 identified Angelo as one of the party’s most committed volunteers at the time and said Angelo and Lake were “best friends.”

    Lake left her job as a Fox 10 anchor in March 2021, citing her disapproval of the “obvious bias” and “liberal ideology” in mainstream media. On the campaign trail, she regularly attacks the “biased media” for working to tip the scales in Democrats’ favor. If the allegations are true, Lake appears to have embodied the media behavior she now says forced her to quit the industry.

    Lake’s alleged behavior doesn’t just contradict her rhetoric—network policy bars employees from campaigning for political candidates.

    Lake worked to sidestep criticism of her past financial support for Democrats first by blaming the donations made in her name on her ex-husband, which would be illegal. She then said she evolved politically. “Look at Ronald Reagan,” Lake told one interviewer who pressed her on her donations to Democrats. “He was a former Democrat. What’s the problem with it?” Lake also says the Democratic Party has grown more radical since she supported Kerry and Obama. (Lake’s 2008 donation to Obama came shortly after National Journal ranked the Illinois Democrat the most liberal senator.)”

    https://freebeacon.com/elections/trump-backed-kari-lake-knocked-doors-for-obama-former-colleague-says/

    Liked by 1 person

    2. “In addition to her campaign donations to Democrats, Lake has pushed for liberal immigration policies such as amnesty and criticized former president Donald Trump. In a 2016 Facebook post, Lake said it was “impossible” to implement Trump’s “plan to deport 11 million immigrants” and argued that the United States should instead allow illegal immigrants to “legally” reside in the country as they await citizenship. One year later, Lake blasted Trump’s infamous Charlottesville press conference as “a real $hit$how” and said Trump showed “absolutely no self control.”

      Lake landed Trump’s endorsement nonetheless. She now professes her “love” for the former president, says Trump should be put on Mount Rushmore, and promises to “send National Guard Troops to the border” to deport “illegal aliens invading Arizona.”

      Trump’s support has propelled Lake to the front of a crowded Republican primary field, which includes land developer Karrin Taylor Robson and former Republican congressman Matt Salmon. According to a Wednesday OH Predictive Insights poll, Lake leads the race with 29 percent support to Taylor Robson’s 22 percent and Salmon’s 11 percent.”

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.