If I'd only known then what I know now, and believe now, would it have made a difference? There comes a time when the truth is finally revealed and it is a grace. I had always been a voracious reader and that is what a friend gave me one day, a book. We had been working together as leaders of a Boy Scout Troop. He must of heard something in me and offered me a book that had been an inspiration to him. It wasn't about the book entirely but a doorway into searching for the truth. I found it in the Catholic Church but it's been a journey.
The Nicene Creed has been my guide to the vision of the Sacramental life of the church. It wasn't an easy choice but it was the place I started. When too many people come at you to lead you in an alternative vision it doesn't work unless they can show why they're vision is better. The common tactic is to just try shaming you instead of asking questions.
In the Creed the words, "I believe . . . of all things visible and invisible" are a reminder to me to look beyond my own understanding. The visible in the world are the leaders and institutions that are prone to confusion, even those who claim they have the truth can be part of the problem. The invisible can only be revealed by seeing it with love in your heart and trust in a supernatural spirit. As a parent I had no idea how to pass that on to my children but I have another opportunity with my grandchildren.
The comfort of our world helps us avoid the conflicts in our life. The conflict in our families is part of visible world. The formation of the family has been taken over by the "plug and play" of our educational institutions. Parents can avoid our responsibilities to lead our children. There's not easy answer or "hack" other than identify the tension and move towards it. The family has created this world and if we get that right it guides us to bring more of the sacred invisible into the secular visible. Seeking the answers to our questions and sharing it is the path to our purpose. Embrace the race but remember it's a long road without a few friends to share a story or book with you.
