Beam me up Scottie !

Do you know how some people are "Trekies" - I think that is how they spell it...people who know every little thing about the Star Trek series ? They know every character, every episode, the meaning of every symbol, and the entire story line. Can a person be a "Catholikie" - someone who knows every little thing about the Catholic faith? I don't think so.

The Church is so big and her history is so vast. Can any human being ever understand all that the Church is about and all its traditions, symbols, rites, history, etc? Can anyone understand all that this immense Faith is all about? Has any one Catholic ever read the lives of all the saints or studied every theology book?

The more I learn about our marvelous and mysterious Catholic faith, the more I realize how much I don't know. That both confirms the fact that I am a member of the One True Church of Christ, but it also frustrates me because I know my mind is so small and limited. Sometimes, as much as I try, I just can't grasp something about a particular church tradition or teaching. I'm not saying that I don't agree with it. I'm just saying that I just have trouble grasping some things. (Ex: the Latin Mass, for one.)

We are given this vast, incredible deposit of faith, to hold and cherish, and use as we need to. But we are not granted the capacity to fully understand it. Why is that?I guess that is what we will get in Heaven...full understanding.

I suppose the correct answer here would be that I need more faith, and I shouldn't worry so much about gaining more knowledge. After all, many of the greatest saints who walked the earth never had any fancy degrees or roles in the church. St. Maria Goretti for one. Joan of Arc for two. Therese of Lisieux, for three. Perhaps I should just sit tight, keep my mouth closed, and sit in the pew and be a quiet, well-behaved little sheep.....

I think I need a stronger faith. No, I know I need a stronger faith. I think I need to try and accept what I do not see more often. That is what faith is all about anyway, right - believing without necessarily seeing ? Perhaps I ask too many questions. Perhaps I should focus on just being a sheep following the Good Shepherd, instead of trying to be a Junior Shepherd. Perhaps arrogance is my greatest sin and I need to walk....no run....to the nearest confessional?

Lent is a time for conversion. I think I need one.

This is what I figure...when you love someone a whole lot, you want to know everything about them, right? You want to know what makes them tick and why they think the way they do, and what their childhood was like, and what is important to them. Am I right? Well, I love Jesus so why shouldn't I want to know everything about Him and everything about His Church? What is the harm in that? I may not get the answers to all my questions, but I can ask them just the same. I guess that is where I'm going to leave the discussion for tonight.

So, if you see someone walking around town with a sweatshirt that reads: "Catholickie in training"...it is probably me.