During these first weeks of Lent, I've been very surprised by the number of people who have taken the celebrations in Catholic churches seriously; even I myself have been very faithful to church activities. In my case, I always think that age has made me wiser, but I'm also happy to see that young people are very focused on keeping traditions alive.
I've long understood what faith and the Church mean. In fact, I've been to places that, since childhood, I've considered as sacred as the Vatican itself, and now, at 37, I realize that the most beautiful thing about that place is what I felt inside, because the truth is, it was a large museum open to anyone.
But this doesn't bother me. I respect everyone's opinion about faith, about what I believe and also what I've stopped believing in, since humanity truly taints everything it touches, but in the end, we are the ones who give things importance.
In the capital, I don't have a church I identify with, so I can attend a different one each week, but I never stop. I've never found a church that gives me the peace that fills me from the church I went to with my parents since childhood, in Aragua State, and it's here that I see that everything is different, depending on how you look at it.
Reading the Bible with the parishioners, listening to the priest's explanation, visiting new churches and appreciating their architecture and the prayer, are activities that fill me and help me get through each day, even though I'm not religiously addicted. I'm glad I have my own judgment, even about church matters, and that I don't let myself be swayed by strange ideas.
In the end, that inner strength I feel and that I also perceive around me doesn't come solely from the church or religion, and I'm okay with that, although I have been surprised by the number of hypocritical people who appear during Lent and still judge others... It's not everyone; there are people who genuinely come to church once a year with all their heart, but wow, there are others who have really surprised me.
Reflecting on it, I realize that there are people like that in every aspect of life, and a little while ago I was even a bit annoyed by an attitude I saw in some people at church, but then I told myself: it's the same thing I see everywhere, and not everyone gives things the same importance. For me, it's about God and something greater; for others, it's just tradition... I think I'm okay with that. I know how to respect others, and I can't forget that everyone has their own perspective 馃檹
