RCIA

Well.

Also pretty interesting.

My first class for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults was tonight (although as Sister Penny said, maybe it should be *Catholic* Initiation, since most everyone going through this is already a Christian of one stripe or another. Of the four of us "candidates", three were there because they married a Catholic. Not me! And all of those were Lutherans. Not me! Not anymore, anyway.)

It was quite unlike my first class of TS501 yesterday. The only similarity was the time spent in introductions and sharing. And yet, I can see already that this will be stimulating and disturbing also, just.. not at an intellectual level, so much as at an emotional one.

Something as simple as Sr. Penny going over the schedule of classes, the various rites (of Welcome, Sending, Election), a list of topics, and the many events of Holy Week.. wow. I realized that either I am going to take this seriously and engage honestly the material and the rituals, such as the Sacrament of Reconciliation (aka Confession), confronting it (and letting it confront me), or I have no business being in the classes.

I found myself a little nervous about what I might experience emotionally as I go through this. Even a brief description of the preparations for Initiation made me think about what that Easter Vigil service may be like for me. It could well be as powerful as my Evangelical conversion experience was at 16, but more of a slow buildup to the climactic moment of anointing, rather than the sudden, jolting thunderclap that was my teenage conversion.

Anyway, the whole notion of it gave me pause. Do I want to start down this path? I guess I already have started, but I mean.. once I begin, will I be able (or even want) to resist the conclusion?

I have two weeks to think about it, since I'm in KC again all next week. And when I come back to class, the topic will be.. conversion. How appropriate.