I Don’t Want to Be “That Mom”

Last updated on: August 22, 2014 at 3:49 pm by Rebecca Frech

I Don’t Want to Be “That Mom” 2014-08-22T15:49:26-05:00 Rebecca Frech

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’ll admit it – I had a bit of a reputation as a trouble maker at our previous parish. I own up to it and admit that I did a bit of rabble rousing. I made phone calls and wrote emails. I left notes for people and called things to their attention. I tried very hard to ignore the small stuff, but teaching the Protestant 10 Commandments in CCD or selling Native American fertility idols in the parish gift shop were too big to ignore.

When I volunteered to help with the Confirmation classes, the Youth Director was warned that I was trouble. He told me so. I was militantly orthodox and stirred up controversy, they told him. Luckily, he chose to talk to me before dismissing me entirely, and we worked well together well for 3 years.

I hate being that mom, the mom whose name makes people sigh. I want so badly to be the nice mom, the mom who smiles and the CCD teachers are glad to see in the halls. I’m not destined to be, but I want it so badly.

This past weekend at my eldest daughter’s Confirmation class, her teacher repeatedly called the Mass boring. She wasn’t just making a personal opinion statement, she was teaching it as fact. She told her students, “I was born in 1960 when all the Masses were in Latin. The people hated it because it was so boring. Eventually the Pope saw reason and let us have it in English so that the people could hopefully be interested and be able to pay attention instead of falling asleep”

Not only is that wrong in so many ways but I think (and I could be wrong here) that it’s blasphemy. ( I looked it up and the 2nd definition in Mirriam Webster is “irreverence toward something sacred or inviolable.”) It’s one thing if she’s bored at Mass (that’s between her and God), but to actually teach it to a class of teenagers is wrong in so many, many ways. As a friend of mine said, “If you were the devil and wanted to attack the souls of these children, what better way than to tell them that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is boring and not worth their time?”

The teacher topped off her discussion of the Mass this past Sunday by asking the kids to stand in for key people in the Mass in order to teach them the different parts. She asked one of the girls to come forward and take the part of the priest. “Pretend that it’s 1000 years from now and you’re the first woman priest. We finally get to do it,” the student was told. When my daughter told me this, she asked “Mom, isn’t that kinda like heresy to say that someday a woman could be a priest. .” No, it’s not kinda like heresy – it is heresy.

I really didn’t want to be the mom who wrote emails and made phone calls, but this is only the third class and I can’t imagine that there will be a conversion here without some outside influence. I guess that’s me, so I sent a short email to the priests at our parish and asked for their guidance. My daughter needs to be Confirmed. She needs to take this class in order to be Confirmed. I can’t see how a year of blasphemy, heresy and undermining her faith are going to help her in any way. What, I asked them, should I do? I’m still waiting for their reply.

I’ve promised my husband and myself to ignore the clueless and dumb things and only speak up when things are morally wrong. It’s hard to learn to be silent when you’re used to being the loud voice, but I’m working on it. It’s even harder to learn to be the gentle voice when something you love so passionately is being degraded and torn apart from the inside.

I keep reminding myself that God wins in the end. I know because He said so. It is not my job to be the sword of wrath but the quiet voice and the gentle nudge.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 3, 2011

The Wages of Sin....The Cost of Carbs

Next Post

October 6, 2011 The 10 Commandments According to My 7 Year Old

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who played cymbals in Temple worship?

Select your answer to see how you score.

David Moses Asaph Solomon