I'll Tell You What I Can

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I went to the lab to get some routine blood work done, and just to double check, I asked which tests she was drawing blood for, although I new some of them.

She said she didn't know because, technically, she's not allowed to see them, and she wasn't really supposed to tell me anyway.

Ugh.

Naturally, my first thought was, "I'm giving my own blood and they can't tell me what it is for?" I know, I get it. She's not supposed to know which means there's nothing to tell me, but still.

I was thinking about this whole idea of not being able to tell, in regards to the process that people go through who come into the Catholic Church. It's called RCIA, which stands for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

While it is a wonderful process, I have always been aware of how difficult it is to encourage people to dedicate their time and energy to a process that they will not really "get" until they go through it.

I can tell you that you will learn so much (even if you choose not to become Catholic), and that you will grow tremendously, spiritually. You will bond with people who are going through the same process and build community with so many people in the Church. If you have children, they, too, will be positively impacted by you doing this. It is a wonderful process where faith really blooms.

Through this process, you can be baptized, or simply enter the Catholic Church if you have already been baptized. Or, maybe you need to receive your First Holy Communion or Confirmation; you will experience Reconciliation by going to Confession (which is awesome--nothing to be afraid of.)

But telling you this, without the benefit of your experiencing this life-changing process, will just seem like words to you. It will seem as if I am asking you to just add one more thing to your already too-busy schedule.

You really have no idea (you just can't know) that the RCIA process is one of THE most important things you will choose to do and is well worth your time and energy. It varies a little from parish to parish, but typically it unfolds through weekly sessions where your questions can be answered, or you can sit quietly and just absorb what is being covered.

If you have ever had the feeling that there is more to life, or had a sense that you are missing something, or that God might be calling you closer to him, I would highly recommend going through this process.

As I said, you can go through the process and decide for yourself whether or not you want to come into the Catholic Church. Nobody's going to pressure you, and going through the process does not commit you. We work in God's time, and must respect that.

If you have been through the process and would like to let others know what it was like for you, please share your comments here.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.com
"Follow me" on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/

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