On the first Sunday of 2015, January 4th, I thought it would be a good idea to start writing down my thoughts and start to "practice" so to speak, an attempt to flesh out.
First a little background to start off. I grew up in southeastern PA, between Philadelphia and Lancaster. I was raised in the Lutheran (ELCA) church and that is still the church that I feel most comfortable in. However, I do not considdr myself soley a >utheran. I use it more as a "DEFAULT", then anything else.
Starting in high school, I became interested in many things related to religion and spirituality. As I starte reading information on the many denomminations of Christianity and started branching out into other religions and faiths, I realized how much the many systems had in common. In my eyes, it wasw the small nit-picky things that made the different denominations of Christianity bump heads (to put it nicely). To me, those that make such a big deal about the small details miss the whole forrest because of one or two trees.
In my own practices, I have come to use practices from other Christian faith traditions because deep down in my heart of hearts, it speaks as true to me. And I think that that is an important thing to consider for anything related to one's spiritual beliefs. What rings true in your heart of hearts? When you think about it, what speaks to you? When it is all boiled down, is it something that is useful for your relationship to God?
One thing that I have adopted into my own faith path is the veneration of the Virgin Mary. I see her as a spiritual mother. I had gotten irked by the fact that the CHristian faith is so male-dominated. God, the Almighty, was portrayed as a male figurehead and Jesus Himself was also a man. All the "Official Apostles" were male, despite the many female followers that Jesus had, especially Mary Magdalene. It irritated me that there was such a male dominance and God forbid if you spoke out about it.
That's where my 'friendship' with Mother Mary (as I like to call her) began. Now when I refer to her as the Virgin Mary, it is merely to differentiate her from the countless other Marys in the New Testament. I do not think that she remained a virgin her entire life. In one of the Gospels (Luke I think), it even refers to the fact that she remained a virgin until the birth of Jesus and afterwards she did her wifely duty with Joseph.
I have used the Holy Rosary as a favorite prayer in my "arsenal". I can almost feel Mary sitting next to me, loving me as her child. It's a very beautiful feeling. I have gone to her in times of need and it has been such a blessing to me.
I think I'll hit the pause button here for now. Feel free to comment as long as it is respectful and civil.
