January 26, 2022 We’re the same but different. “I don’t hate the cold. I like mornings. I’m happy to sit and knit/weave/spin/crochet all day,” my twin sister said in a text message. “You: Hot, nights, need to go, go, go.” While we’re genetically identical, my twin sister and I are as different as night and day. We look a lot alike, we sound a lot alike, and we have similar outgoing personalities, but we’re also very, very different. In addition to the differences she mentioned, she’s always loved studying math and science, while I’ve always preferred literature and history. Growing up, I was likely to fill my time playing sports, while she was likely to fill hers playing music. She’s pensive and absorbs situations before she speaks. I tend to be impulsive and reactive. We have a lot of things in common, but we also have distinct personalities, interests, talents and abilities. Despite our differences, we fit together perfectly, and we complement one another. We’re the same, but different. God doesn’t use cookie cutters when He creates people. I’m fairly certain we all have moments in which we wish others looked at the world through the same lens we do, but wouldn’t life be boring if we were all exactly the same? Thinking about differences took my thoughts back to September of 2015. Then, my friend and I were blessed to have the opportunity to watch Pope Francis’ address a joint meeting of Congress from the Capitol lawn. The group gathered on the lawn in front of us was speaking Spanish. The group behind us was speaking a language I couldn’t identify. Yet when Pope Francis appeared on the balcony in front of us, we all made the Sign of the Cross together, and we all declared “Amen” together. We’re the same, but different. Our Catholic Church is universal. There’s room for everyone in it. Whether you prefer your Mass with incense and chant or with guitars and folk music, there’s room for you here. Whether you celebrate Mass in English or in Spanish, there’s room for you here. God made us all different. We have different preferences, different personalities and different ways of connecting with God and one another. But we’re all part of the same Church, we’re all worshipping the same God, and we’re all trying to reach the same eternal joy. Let’s celebrate our differences knowing we’re united by our commonalities. |
|||||
|
|||||||||
