Some people may know that my dad and I are not eye to eye on faith but after another one of our long-winded discussions, I kind of feel like I have less air in my chest because I talked myself to death.
Here is how it went down:
He asks me what do I get out of going to church, because I'm "not meeting people anyway." This came after he said that I was going to church too often and I only go once a week so far, not even for other gatherings.
I told him that it helps me spiritually and he asked how. That's where it got even harder. I told him that it had to do with communion but that the "fancy" word for it was called Eucharist. He asked me how does it have to do with it. I started saying that Jesus blessed bread at the Last Supper and told us that we need to eat this bread in order to have "life." Oddly he didn't ask me what I meant by life, but he wanted me to elaborate more on what I was saying. I told him that Jesus said that this bread was his flesh that He had to give for the world, alluding to the crucifixion and that's where things kind of got weird - I told him that it's not my words but that John Chapter 6 talks about it and that many of his disciples probably thought he was crazy when he said it but that the words are clear, and that they're not my words, they're his. Of course, my dad thought this was nuts and wanted me to show him John 6 but he was getting tired and had to sleep, but in case you think this was a potential breakthrough, I'm sorry to say that it is likely not, because this is what happened after:
He started saying "this is why people convert to Islam; it's an easier religion, people can understand it." My dad thinks that religion should be simpler and asked me did other Catholics, even the "illiterate" ones, accept that this is literal and if they understood it (as if I knew the answer to the latter).
I feel like I made matters worse but I also felt that I had to give him some sort of answers. I asked him though, "Have you noticed that no one has ever put Catholics in the mental hospital because of this? It's because people know that the Scripture says it." He kind of found that amusing though.
I think I almost feel physically sick from the discussion, it took the life out of me.
Here is how it went down:
He asks me what do I get out of going to church, because I'm "not meeting people anyway." This came after he said that I was going to church too often and I only go once a week so far, not even for other gatherings.
I told him that it helps me spiritually and he asked how. That's where it got even harder. I told him that it had to do with communion but that the "fancy" word for it was called Eucharist. He asked me how does it have to do with it. I started saying that Jesus blessed bread at the Last Supper and told us that we need to eat this bread in order to have "life." Oddly he didn't ask me what I meant by life, but he wanted me to elaborate more on what I was saying. I told him that Jesus said that this bread was his flesh that He had to give for the world, alluding to the crucifixion and that's where things kind of got weird - I told him that it's not my words but that John Chapter 6 talks about it and that many of his disciples probably thought he was crazy when he said it but that the words are clear, and that they're not my words, they're his. Of course, my dad thought this was nuts and wanted me to show him John 6 but he was getting tired and had to sleep, but in case you think this was a potential breakthrough, I'm sorry to say that it is likely not, because this is what happened after:
He started saying "this is why people convert to Islam; it's an easier religion, people can understand it." My dad thinks that religion should be simpler and asked me did other Catholics, even the "illiterate" ones, accept that this is literal and if they understood it (as if I knew the answer to the latter).
I feel like I made matters worse but I also felt that I had to give him some sort of answers. I asked him though, "Have you noticed that no one has ever put Catholics in the mental hospital because of this? It's because people know that the Scripture says it." He kind of found that amusing though.
I think I almost feel physically sick from the discussion, it took the life out of me.
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