Mourning, Rituals & Other Things I Don't Understand

On and off during Tuesday and today, I watched EWTN and all the priests and people talking about how Mother Angelica changed, not only lives, but the Catholic Church.  She started that whole TV network, that now reaches all around the world.  Bedridden for the last 15 years from a stroke and in continual, fierce pain.  

Her birth name was Rita Rizzo, and like her name implies, she was a feisty, Italian girl and nun!  She was so humorous in her Bible studies, I guess I liked that about her.  She had suffered abuse while a young girl--her father, an alcoholic left the family early on.

What I didn't know until today, her mother later joined the same Franciscan Order and lived in the same convent/monastery.  So SHE was her mother's, Mother Superior.

I watched as her casket was brought back to the place she built.  I do believe she is the most influential woman in the whole Catholic Church.

There were Rosaries (about every two hours) said for Mother Angelica.  I barely made it through one.  Then we had an hour long "Stations of the Cross", which was nice.  Mass and Communion services each day.  

Lots of things I don't understand about the Catholic rituals.

Why do they repeat the same words/prayer, over and over when they do the Rosary?  That started to get on my nerves.  Doesn't the Blessed Mother, God and Jesus hear them the first time?

Why do they have incense they wave around?

What's the deal with the Holy Water sprinkler?

And why do they have to keep praying for her soul?

My Bible says, "Absent from the body, present with the Lord,"--like instantaneously.

If there ever was a person that Bible verse would pertain to, it certainly is Mother Mary Angelica!!!

People have already claimed healing's by praying to Mother Angelica.  I do think she will eventually be canonized and made a Saint.

BUT

Now, wait a minute.  If they are praying for her soul, that must mean they don't think she is in Heaven as yet.  Probably in Purgatory?  Then how would they think she could send a healing?

Maybe there are so many services taking place constantly so that God will notice someone important has died?  Doesn't He already know that?  

I don't understand much so, I guess I will have to ask my Karen.   She knows all that stuff about the rituals and such.

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Which just reminded me of something.  Years ago--about 25 years, Pam and Jennifer decided to join the Catholic faith.  They both had already been baptized when they were babies, so they didn't have to go through that again, but they took the Catechism classes and there was an evening service at the Church for them to make their commitment to the Church and take their first communion.

It was at a local Church and of course, even though I lived 50 miles away, I attended.  After wards, the Priest came down the aisle.  He was sprinkling Holy Water back and forth on each pew.  I was sitting on the outside seat and when he got to me, he sprinkled the row in front, the row across from me and the row behind me and skipped right over me.

How did he know I was a heathen?  Because I hadn't gone up to take Communion with everyone else?  Anyway, I was a bit miffed that he didn't include me in the blessing or whatever that Holy Water is for!  and I felt bad about the people sitting in my pew row that missed out, just because of me!!  I'm still embarrassed about it.

I know that Catholics can be quite exclusionary. I realize that I can't take Communion at their altar because I might defile the Host, which seems not right to me.  I got upset about that once ( a long time ago) and told Karen, "In our church, as you well know, the minister states, 'This is the Lord's table. Open to all.'  Do you think that if I knocked on the door of the Upper Room and Jesus came to the door, He'd not let me in for supper because I'm not a Jew?"

Anyway, (or so I've heard), they tend to think their way is the only way and only Catholics get to Heaven.

That's why when you get to Heaven, you have to tiptoe past the Catholic room, so they don't realize you made it.  When you get to the Methodist or Baptist room, you can once again break out in loud hymn singing, shouting AMEN and PRAISE THE LORD!!  (old joke).

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Sunday, I made another mistake.  I wished my grand daughter's fiance' Mike a Blessed Passover, because I thought that Passover is the same time as our Easter.  (Some years it is).  Well, come to find out THIS YEAR, Passover occurs on April 23rd. Passover is when Moses finally got the Jews out of Egypt--thus the reason "The Ten Commandments" movie is on TV every year at Easter time.

Our whole Easter thing is based on the Pagan thingie that has to do with the Moons cycle.  (Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox.)

So back then, Jesus DID have Passover with his disciples on what we called Maundy Thursday.  But this year, the Easter/Passover thingie didn't line up together.

Instead, the Jewish people were celebrating Purim, which is from the book of Esther.

Oh Lord!  Save me!  

Not only do I need a Catechism class, but I need a Bat Mitzvah and if Maddie ever brings home some man named Abdul Mohammad, I am just done!!
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Next time I am in the company of Karen's family, and the Jewish fiance', and asked to say Grace, I will start my prayer with, "Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, now Bless us oh Lord and these our gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty and (my old stand-by grace),  Bless this food to our use and us to thy service.  Amen."  

If nothing else, I am Ecumenical!!