Jewish Catechism

Some of the greatest Catholic Dogmas and Truths have been taught to me by Jews.  Of course, Jesus was a Jewish carpenter, and He is the teacher par excellence.  All of the Old Testament teachings come from Holy Scripture that was passed on by Jews.  But contemporarily speaking, I have learned about the Immaculate Conception and also redemptive suffering from my husband's Jewish family.

I was the second 'shiksa' to come into the family, but the only true remaining one, the other shiksa sister-in-law converted to Judaism years ago for unity in faith for their growing family.  One of my  brothers-in-law, Bob, asked me in front of the entire family once during a family get-together if I knew what the Immaculate Conception was.  Of course, I should have sensed a trap here, it seemed too easy, but I was so sure of myself.  I answered like many other cradle-Catholics of my generation might have, (and you can cringe here), "that was when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary", and    that's when he very good-naturedly said, "wrong!"

That was a wake-up call for me personally and spiritually.  I love my brother-in-law, and he was very gracious in not rubbing my face in my error;  but I was an adult who professed the faith every Sunday, and I missed the answer to a question that I shouldn't have missed!  I realized that day that I was very poorly catechized, and I vowed to try and correct that slowly but assuredly.

The next one is not so obvious, but an important one, none-the-less.  As a Catholic, I knew that Jesus died for my sins, that he suffered, and somehow, that suffering was a gift to me.  Even though, I could repeat this in many different ways, and I thought I understood it, it still wasn't carved in the palm of my hand or written on my heart.  I had no desire to suffer, and didn't understand how anyone could willingly do so.  I didn't see or understand when my mom advised me to "offer it up" whenever I was going through a difficulty.

I remember speaking with my husband, and he was telling me the story of how his brother, the same Bob, ran the rifle run with him on the very day when my husband did his Marines rifle run for  basic training.   He was misty-eyed as he remembered reading the letter from his brother telling him what he had done.  Having had no previous experience with military basic training and practically no running experience as of yet, I had no idea what this meant.  I asked Jon what the big deal was.  He very patiently explained how he was moved that his brother suffered with him, albeit hundreds of miles away.  It would be years later when, remembering this story, I felt this was the beginning of when mortification and redemptive suffering would begin to become meaningful for me.  I was beginning to understand how purposeful and valuable and powerful this suffering for another could actually be.  And I pray that I can wholeheartedly accept the sufferings and setbacks that my Father chooses to send me, that I may be able to prove myself  a good and faithful servant when the day comes that I see the glory of the Trinity.

Running with Grasshoppers

I'm just as squeamish as the next girl when it comes to bugs and things that hop and fly.  Why, then, was I happily running while (easily) thirty or so grasshoppers were jumping all around me, in front of me, behind me, and sometimes bouncing off of me?  It's because at that time, the sun was high in the sky, it was extrememly hot, and I was hurrying to get home from a really long run of ten miles.  Maybe it's the same principle that my friend's old physics teacher exhibited when he lay down on a bed of nails and didn't get hurt, but would not dare step on a single nail.  Nonetheless, I was still pleased with myself and mildly entertained.  A little hopping grasshopper which has no history (that I know) of ever stinging or biting a human is a tiny issue compared with the intense heat, my extreme thirst, and the last three seemingly endless miles that lay yet ahead.  I pray that I can blow off the little things and focus on the big issues in my life today and always.