Catholic Rhythms

My husband and I recently relocated (temporarily) to Mendoza, Argentina. We’re here to learn Spanish, have a bit of adventure, and to soak up this lovely South American culture. I’m excited to be in a new country and stumbling around with new versions of Catholicism. There is this great old church on the corner not too far from our apartment that is celebrating 400 years of the Jesuits in Mendoza. 400 years!!

But what I have been noticing is my Catholic way of being here. I notice myself carving out rhythms, patterns to my day. Amidst the hectic-ness of Spanish classes and teaching English, I am craving a rhythm to my life here, a routine. In rather stark contrast, my husband loves the excitement of a different rhythm to each day. He isn’t Catholic.

As I slide in and out of culture shock and in and out of Spanish, I wonder if my earnest desire for rhythms is rooted in my Catholic life. As several of the authors in this collection write, young Catholics know the ebb and flow of Catholic Mass, Catholic seasons, Catholic days like I know the pulse of my husband’s heart. Without even noticing it, Catholic rhythms become a part of us.

Thrown amid the unknown and the new, I look for ways to ground me. I feel more whole and attentive at life when I have them. Perhaps we all do. But I wonder if there is something religious about my desire to do so. As if my intimate knowledge of Catholic ritual has carved on me a need for ritual in other areas of my life.

--kate