I've written on this blog about being a religion teacher in a Catholic high school. That phase of my life has ended. In last week's post, I explained why I am still a Catholic. While I may be comfortable with that identification, it is doubtful that the Church will accept my definition of Catholicity. I cannot be who I am and at the same time ask them to hand me a paycheck. It was time to make a choice, and so I did.
The downside of this choice is having to look for a day job. But that is a small sacrifice to pay for the privilege of being able to publicly proclaim God's revelation. To that end, I am expanding the content of this blog, effective immediately.
"Family of the One" will now be published twice each week, and on a new schedule. The Wednesday edition will focus on a current event or issue that teaches us some truth about creation and Creator. The Friday edition will highlight a particular piece of mass media or popular culture as an expression of Divine Love. Additionally, I will be constructing the "Faith Development" section over the summer. The introduction is currently available, and other material will be added soon.
On a separate but related note, last week I finally shared this work with my family, friends, co-workers, and students. I will always be grateful for their supportive and affirming responses. But there have also been questions, namely, what am I trying to accomplish? Unfortunately, I'm not sure that there's a good answer to that one.
We Americans are a very task-oriented people. While usually a positive trait, it can also blind us to other realities. God does not measure us on what we have achieved, but on our devotion to the individual purpose for which we were created. It does not matter how many people we love, how many good works we do, or even how much faith we have. If we fail to follow our vocation, we just fail.
I was created to share a set of information that God desires to be known. Whether or not people listen to or embrace that information is irrelevant. I'm not trying to change the world, reform religion, or even alter anyone's behavior. If those things happen they are God's doing, not mine. My purpose is to serve the revelation I've received. I may fail at a lot of things in life, but this vocation will not be one of them.