I confess, last Sunday I missed church.  I also didn’t vote and I am sure I used the “F” bomb in several of my sentences throughout the week.  Those are just the unsavory things I remember at the moment.  I imagine there were a few other confessions I still owe penance for.  Some will think missing church was the worst offense, others will be disgusted I purposely didn’t vote and for that I pledge not to complain about the voting outcomes at any point.  Religion and politics are always hot buttons for people to condemn. The foul mouth is the least of my indiscretions and only really makes me look bad, little harm on anyone else.  Overall I was nowhere near my best me.  Gratefully, I am starting fresh with a positive attitude and strong focus. I am letting go of all the forces that I allowed in to my head, I chose to be driven by frustrations but I am also choosing to do better now.  It started with church today.  There was nothing note worthy said in the homily, basic stewardship expectations and being a living example of our Christianity were the themes.  Both are concepts I grew up with and encourage within myself though it never hurts to hear it again.  The words will stay with me as I reach for opportunities to make a difference in someone else’s day.

I am continually inspired by my faith.  I realize Catholicism isn’t for everyone.   There are parishioners that don’t represent our religion favorably and there are parishioners that outshine all of us.  Most of the parishioners fall somewhere in between which is a good balance to have.  All the dynamics make up the strength and quality of our church.  My hope is that regardless of your affiliation or your commitment to any religion that we can lean towards respecting each other without judgment.  You don’t have to understand the doctrines, the structure or decisions of our faith and I don’t have to understand the teachings of yours or even if you have no faith at all.  We can enjoy the person just as they are.  Appreciate the differences, celebrate the similarities of our lives and work together with a mutual respect.   There is so much to achieve here, the journey is beautiful when shared with others but we miss the gifts that are directly in front of us when we allow judgments to come first.  “Just because you think it doesn’t mean you’re right”

Can I get an AMEN!?