New Places Old Faces

I went to my first Catholic "interest group" liturgy and social today (as in the group that's not Courage). The Mass was a little "creative" (I might get used to a gender neutral God but have a hard time with gender neutral Jesus) but the social made it worth it as the people there were very friendly.

Among the interesting characters I met were a former nun, a former Augustinian whose advice upon hearing about my interest in religious life was "run!" (he said I was "cute" and should ditch the nunnery for a boyfriend), a theologian and his webmaster partner, and finally, an old face (translation: teacher) I wish I had said hello to instead of frantically pulling a ninja move to the back pew.

I like to think of life has a process that comes full circle instead of one that has a simple forward path. By coming full circle I don't necessarily mean that you return to old ways or patterns, but that many things from your past tie into your future in a meaningful way (as in things come into fuller, happier, understanding, not just the notion that past and future are simply cause and effect). So instead of your life being a line with an endpoint from A to B, it's a series of events that forms a whole circle.

Ah! I'm not explaining myself correctly.

You know how when you watch a tv show for a long time and they make a reference to an old episode or bring in an old character it makes you feel really excited? That's how I feel when old "characters" or references to things (concepts, experiences) that were important reappear in my life. It's how I think I'll always feel about my Marist upbringing (I went to a Marist high school as well as the Marist College) and it's cool to see how a lot of it comes back, through people or words.