“Have you thought about asking Jesus for help?”
I had been telling my corner grocer, Jose, about my woes in finding a contractor to rehab my ruined house after the roof went during the “Ike” hurricane.
I had four estimates for my insurance company and not one of those contractors had returned my calls. They had disappeared.
“He was a carpenter, you know, “he added.
I hadn’t thought about Jesus. Besides, he was probably mad at me since I left the Catholic Church long ago.
Although I came from a devout family, I started having doubts at about seven years old.
Tentatively, I had already come to the following conclusions:
1. God was not an old man with a beard who was keeping records on me. There was some force out there but I did not know what to call it.
2. Is Jesus more God than I was? Maybe, he was just in a higher grade.
3. God would not send you to hell if you ate meat on Friday or missed Mass.
4. No loving God would doom innocent babies who were not baptized to Limbo.
5. Nothing bad would happen to me if I went into a Protestant church.
6. I had this funny feeling I had lived in this world before. That there was something inside me that had nothing to do with the body I was in right now.
Remember, I was seven. I would not dare mention these things to anyone. That would have made me a heretic.
Catholics laugh and call people like this a “Delicatessen Catholic” in these days. You are tolerated if you just take a little of this and a little of that and believe what you want. Not then.
But, what I learned at seven was this. If you really, really want something, it is not going to happen if you don’t do something to get it. You can’t just pray to Jesus because this does not work.
For example, what my brother Henry and I really, really wanted was to go to the Rialto movie theatre on Flatbush Avenue on Saturdays. It cost seven cents.
We spent the entire week looking through people’s garbage for bottles. You got two cents return for each bottle.
We went to the movies every week.
Long story short. I decided to ask Jesus.
Two days later, I found a contractor. The crew starts tomorrow morning.
So, if it was you, Jesus, I want to thank you for your help. You can be sure I will be giving you all my business from now on.
I’m starting to think -
Maybe Jesus isn’t even a Catholic.
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i SO identify with the idea of god being mad at you because you’d left the catholic church! great post!
Ha–I never, ever understood #4 myself.
Dear Jackie -
Yeah, those nuns really laid the guilt trips on us. I would not have DARED to voice any of those thoughts in those days!
It took a lot of courage to leave. But I still go to Mass with my sister once in a while. I like all the drama and incense and stuff.
Hi Sandi -
Been thinking about you. No, #4 was finally discontinued as you know!
I’m a 12 year veteran of Catholic school. So its now wonder I have such non-catholic religious beliefs.
As for #4. I think so many of us had trouble swallowing that one. I asked about it in 7th grade and Sister told me I had to ask father. I said, very sweetly…really “Why, don’t you know the answer?” Oh yeah, I got in big trouble for that one.
Melissas last blog post..How to Deal With Negative People
Hi Corinne,
Jesus and Joseph were good carpenters as far as history tells us about their work. He’d be a great guy to call, but you have to pray because I’m pretty sure they don’t have phones wherever He is now. So I’m glad you asked him for help doing what you need to get done. When we pray for bigger shoulders instead of a lighter load it works better.
I was raised Protestant, but I believe things they don’t agree with, like Jesus was probably married. He was a Jew, and he would not have had a choice about marriage. A Jewish boy back then had an arranged marriage with a Jewish girl and they married when the girl was between 14 and 18 and the boy was between 16 and 20. To me, it doesn’t make him any less divine, it just makes him a good Jewish boy.
I also believe you have to get off your rear and do something that God can help you do for yourself. When you start doing the right things, God blesses you. If you don’t do the right things, Murphy seems to move into your spare room with his whole family.
I also don’t believe that humans, no matter how flawed, are capable of sinning against the infinite greatness of God. We don’t have the power to do it. We’re just too insignificant in the big picture (of many universes, not just our own). That is not license to go off and be a horrible person or commit crimes or even be rude. But if you fall down as most humans do at some point, God isn’t going to punish you for it. You’ll punish yourself or other humans will punish you for it enough.
I’ll probably get some negative comments about this one, but oh well, in the big picture my opinion doesn’t matter, really.
Sherri
And I’m still cleaning up the last of my back yard from Gustav. When nothing goes through your roof (again, God, thank you!) it all falls in your yard. I’m about to start debris pile #6 in front of my house at the curb. I hope this will be the last pile and everything will be cleaned up.
Sherri
Debt Free or Bust – Sherris last blog post..October 2008 Debt Report
It had nothing to do with Jesus and it had everything to do with the christ-consciousness in you. Someone once told me – “Don’t follow Jesus – follow what he followed”-
That made so much sense to me. You got those contractors because of a great good deed you did one time when I needed for some help. You volunteered your services – not once – but three times and because of your own christ-consciousness, you were able to call in your “markers”. You reap what you sow and you have sown millions of kind seeds on the planet and they all came back to you when you needed them.
The real “secret” is a four-letter word called W-O-R-K and you my dear friend are one of the hardest workers I know.
So forget the mythic Jesus stuff and know that you have the same in you that he had. I experience it all the time.
It’s called love.
Hi Melissa -
I understand. Add on Catholic college for me. Things had moderated by that time – but then we had a lot of Jesuits teaching there. They were always the Liberal Party!
Dear Lily Rose – what happened to “Violet?”
If this is true -
“You got those contractors because of a great good deed you did one time when I needed for some help. You volunteered your services – not once – but three times and because of your own christ-consciousness, you were able to call in your “markers.”
THEN I GUESS I HAVE YOU TO THANK!
(Those “markers” were my pleasure!)
Don’t we all have a little something we found hard to believe.
Hi Corine
When I was boy. When my father died I believed God could not take him away from me. I believed he was on A trip to do some secret service work.He would be back. I still believe, that some day in an other time I will meet him again.
As for god? Well, there is something out there. Call it God, the spirit or the universe its there watching and helping but only if you do your part. Nothing is due to magic. NO ACTION, you get NOTHING, NADA,NIET.
Very nice article
Claude
Claudes last blog post..10 Reasons not to Hire Older Peaple Dimistyfied (part 5)
Dear Sherri -
You are right – the historical Jesus story is so different. I agree that he was married. Even today, with Jews, they are very involved in getting their kids married.
I am glad you are in the last stages of clean up. I am in the first two days! I have a brass bed in my dining room!
And I have no idea where my fax machine is in the house!
I can’t wait for this all to be over! I am a compulsively neat Virgo!
Really enjoyed – and always do – your comments! You are more and more feeling like a close friend!
Dear Claude -
You may know that I am a Life Coach. Many of my clients come in with “The Secret” under their arms and wondering why all this stuff is not working.
I always tell them, “YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!”
I am certain in my heart that you will meet your father again and he will have marvelous stories to tell you!
He may even be your guardian angel and has been for your whole life. Do you talk to him? I bet he is there.
Violet is “gone” – I’m not the person she signed on with all those years ago. DId I ever tell you that I took “Rose” as my catholic confirmation name
You don’t have me to thank – you did it with your sweet kindness. Law of attraction? For me, it all started when I began watching your 400 shows on Wisdom TV.
Hang tight during the constuction. Lack of order is so difficult for Virgo people. Order is on the way!!!
Well strictly speaking Jesus was a Jew, Corinne. Proving that Catholics don’t have a monopoly. Like you i was brought up in the Catholic church, and now I’m a deli grazer.
Karen (karooch from Scraps of mind)s last blog post..Texture Tuesday with Wildheart
Dear Karen – Karooch – the “deli grazer!”
That made me laugh!
I feel we are all sparks of Divinity. Some of us more advanced. Like Jesus!
One day, I see there will be just one spirituality in the world. But probably not in our lifetime!