Follow the Leader

Growing up Latina there wasn't much choice: you were Catholic. In my neighborhood, it was as fundamentally natural as knowing that you weren't going to reach the top of any corporate "food chain." The best you could hope for was to graduate from high school: a real achievement for those of us from the projects of San Antonio, TX. I checked that block...my sister never did. She chose to (or maybe not) marry early in life: a mere teen still.

We were both raised to believe that Jesus was god and that his mother, Mary, was as miraculously powerful as Jesus god. Mary is quite a celebrity, especially among Catholic, Latina females. You see, she commands quite the "paparazzi" what with her numerous public appearances in tiny, obscure villages scattered throughout Central and South American countries. I'm no theologian, of course, but I must admit that I have never heard of "Our Lady of Dublin, Ireland" or "Our Lady of Detroit, Michigan." You see...where ever she tours, she receives a new title: a "key to the city," if you will.

The latest and greatest news from the Catholic world is that Catholics "honor" Mary and the saints: they don't "pray" to them. I'm here to tell you, we were taught not only to pray to Mary and the saints for miracules, but to sacrifice to them. I learned then, and people around the world to this day, pay money, go on lengthy food fasts, as well as walk, run and crawl on bloody knees for very long distances in order that they might "seal the deal" for a miracle or two. Often times, the sacrifice itself is to the detriment of the health or well-being of the petitioner. The Jesus god was never part of the deal. I didn't understand then and still don't "get it" to this day. But I played along. That's just what you did as a Catholic. No questions asked: just follow the leader.