Mind-Blowing

Reflection on Church, Sacraments, and Liturgy

When I began this course I thought to myself, “What can I learn from a class in sacraments and liturgy when I come from a faith tradition that has so little of both?”  All I can say is that it was mind-blowing.  From the resources, from the discussions, to the exposure of meeting the Archbishop and having a deeper sense of the history of the church universal has profoundly changed me. 

From the Liturgy of the Hours to Johnson’s book and all the readings in between, I was exposed to a world of the sacred that I had not known before.  Class wasn’t just a place where ideas were exchanged; it was a place where the sacred was exposed to me in new and relevant ways.  I often left class thinking, “How am I going to incorporate this into my church’s worship experience, how am I going to invite them into the sacred as this class did?” 

I received from all of my classmates a deeper sense of what it means to be big “C” catholic and little “c” catholic.  Your differing views on the Catholic Church reminded me that all Catholics do not think alike, that you all have varying views on the church you so love, and that many of you challenge some of the beliefs of the Church.  As a protestant it was refreshing and revealing.

I think the most profound thing I learned is that the sacred is embedded in so many things, from the rich liturgical traditions of the Catholic Church, to the Eucharist, and to the water of our baptisms.  This course has altered my trajectory and has helped me to not only define my own faith, but embrace the faith of others.  It was an experience that will keep on giving as I continue in my ministry.  God bless you all!