Week Three:
Technically, RCIA is tomorrow morning, but I don't trust myself to knock out a post tomorrow evening! Although there was no class last weekend, I kept busy at the Cathedral over the past week. Tuesday was my first Feast Day (The Assumption of Mary) but it was challenging to concentrate during the Mass obligation. Talking parishioners in the back, fussing kiddos who were louder than the priest (understandable with the heat), and distracting continuous cellphone use throughout in the pew ahead of me ... We haven't completed Mass training yet, but something tells me etiquette would discourage social media use while seated/standing/singing/praying/reciting The Creed and receiving the Eucharist. But what do I know... The thought "Why did these people even show up tonight?" admittedly kept resurfacing throughout Mass, and an hour of contemplative patience is much easier said than done.
I may need to start sitting closer to the front.
Thursday evening was the first Bible Study of the year for our parish. At the start of class, everyone was already chanting... had absolutely no idea what was happening. Quietly took a seat in the back and thought I was safe/unnoticed, but apparently had missed introductions. When called on post-chant, all I could muster was "Hi, I'm Kayla. I am not Catholic but am taking RCIA."
Decided to join this weekly Thursday class because the newsletter said All are welcome, and thought Catholic Bible study would complement RCIA well. There are a few individuals who have been attending this class for well over a decade, and have a good idea of what they want weekly. I am very much in a go-with-the-flow learning state as a sponge; this particular class may be well over my head for the coming year as there is a desire to focus on Lectio Divina, but as with all things, showing up is half the battle (and next week, I plan on arriving early). The takeaway: words like Eucharist and Communion are found in Greek translations of the Bible, which makes sense as to why non-Catholics quibble about the word usage. Mainline Christians generally struggle with accurate Biblical-anything (a generalized observation) that hasn't been oversimplified and would be hard-pressed to have a conversation about early translations of the word for the sake of comprehension.
Backtracking on The Catechism in a Year from previous entries... Mistakenly thought the podcast was recorded last year, and have been powering through Fr. Mike's sessions over the past several weeks wrongly assuming that it was old news for the Catholic community at large. False. As of Day 231 (today!) I am all caught up with the rest of the audience, and this discovery was a delightful surprise. CIY is entering the third section of the COCC, and Fr. Mike and guests have doubled down that the upcoming morality topics are hard for many (both Catholics/Non-Catholics); after a bit of reflection on the road this afternoon, limiting the sessions to (1) per day will give me the time to sit with the teachings fully, versus consuming 5+ sessions every day.
Other housekeeping items: the Evangelical church I was baptized by doesn't have a formal baptism certificate, but one of the pastors wrote up a nice little letter for our RCIA administration to review. Will know soon enough if I have to be re-baptized... being fully dunked (immersion) once in public was enough. Hopeful that another baptisim won't be needed!