Remains of the (School) Year

I have piles of stuff stacked all over my kitchen. My no-longer-fourth-grade-and-not-quite-fifth-grade daughter brought it all home yesterday. It's hard to know where to begin.

Of course, some of it should stay. Some of it is plain ol' trash. It is important to go about this process methodically, putting the "to keep" stuff in the right place and the "to throw" stuff in the trash.

It seems as though I have been doing this for four years - five actually. The process of conversion began a full year before I entered the Catholic Church.

But, initial conversion really is about sorting. We get to keep everything that is good. We simply have to find the right place for it. The Catechism is an essential guidebook for this. It's a little like having mom right there to help know what should stay and what should go and how to shelve the stuff that stays.

The good news for converts (and kids just out of school) is this: Only the trash gets put in the trash. For the converts, it's the stuff they don't really need anyway, the stuff that caused division and discord. Misinformation about Mary. Misunderstandings about the Communion of Saints. Confusion about sanctification and salvation.

But even with these things, the good and true parts are retained. Only the aversion, repulsion, and sketchy biases are purged.

The good stuff - we keep. And we even find wonderful places to display these things we have always treasured. The Holy Trinity has a place of honor, where we can see it and fully appreciate it. There is a perfect place for the truth about how we are saved by grace (yes, Catholics believe this). There is a well-lit pedestal for the great truths of the faith, things we have always loved and treasured. So much to keep. And getting rid of the debris, well, that is key to a proper appreciation for the stuff that really is worth keeping.

If you are in this wonderful yet confusing spot, my prayers are with you. Be encouraged, this process is worth every minute you give to it. Blessings!