I'm Ranting!

If you don't want to listen to me rant, feel free to click off right now. My feelings won't be hurt--I promise.

But really. Are they fucking kidding me. The Vatican has now announced that attempting to ordain women is the same level of sin as sexually abusing children. Really? Has the pope been reading a lot of Margaret Atwood lately because that sounds like a plot she would come up with.

Before I go any further, I think you need to know that I was raised Roman Catholic, did 12 years of Catholic school (and I have the penmanship to prove it) and I do sincerely believe in the stories of Catholicism. Key word here being stories. I believe in a "higher power" that we are all very comfortable calling God so I'll go with that.

But dudes--my God is really nice and I believe that he/she/it actually likes me. And I believe that the stories that have been passed down for centuries can actually give us some insight into what I can learn from God.

I always use the story of the wedding at Cana as a great example. So they ran out of wine. And Jesus did something and suddenly there was some more wine--really good wine. I like to believe that Jesus got out his Visa card, sent one of the apostles up to Hastings Wine and bought some more wine for his friends' wedding. No need to make a big deal about it--just enjoy the wine folks. Don't drink and drive and, hey, Simon, get your hand off the bride's ass.

In Catholic school they always told me that I had to act like Jesus. What would Jesus do? Well guess what? I can't turn water into wine. Believe me, I've tried. But I can show compassion for my friends and loved ones and do anything I can to make sure they're not embarrassed when really, all they're trying to do is celebrate. And maybe when I realize how good it feels to show compassion to my friends and loved ones, I'll learn how to show compassion for people I don't know. And for my enemies.

Isn't that the true miracle--that we are capable of compassion. I think the long term benefits of that miracle totally outweigh turning a jug of water into wine (ask me about that some time when I have no wine in the house).

Here's another example. A good friend of mine was diagnosed with HIV very early in the epidemic. But he survived for over 20 years. And he used his illness to change the world. Sound familiar--guy got a death sentence, was resurrected and is still having an impact on humankind. Hmmm--shouldn't we be looking for metaphorical resurrection for ourselves every day. Yeah--we screw up. Things go wrong. Other people do bad things to us. But we can still wake up on a Sunday morning and start a new week. And a new life. And try to leave a good footprint on the world--no matter how big or small.

So according to the Vatican, women suck. Hmmm--have they not noticed that when God decided to send his son to earth to save us all (their words--not mine) he chose to have a woman do it WITHOUT ANY HELP FROM A MAN!!!!!!!!
Are they still so pissed off because God left them out of the birth of Christ that the rest of us have to pay for it 2000 years later.

One last thing and I promise I'll stop ranting. One of the most important things that we learn from Catholicism is that God gave us free will. Well guess what? I'll be using that free will and not sharing rituals, ceremonies, celebrations or my hard earned money with an organization that does not share my values. I wouldn't join any other organization that is as exclusive as the Catholic Church is so, I'll be damned before I spend any more time with them. Rather than looking for God in an wafer and some cheap wine, I will be looking for God in the faces of the people who I love and who love me.

And I know I will find him/her/it there.

Amen.