DRUNK. NOVENA. RENEWED. RELIGIOUS. POINT IT OUT.

Last night was the weirdest night I’ve ever had. My dad was really DRUNK and all that when he nonchalantly told me that he somehow realized that he shouldn’t be drinking too much. I was surprised so I asked how he realized such thing knowing he’s not sober. He said he couldn’t forget a statement that seeped out of my mouth when I was sharing something to my younger sister. He continued asking if it came from the Bible, so on and so forth. I just listened to him and didn’t say a word. After several snooping, I felt like he wanted a debate, which I am trying to prevent. So, I asked him what the statement was. He said it was something like taking care of one’s body. Hah! It was from the New Testament, book of 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 19-20 which says, “You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.” (CEV). I explained to him that God lives in our body that’s why we should take the very best care of it. Anything that will corrupt and disgrace our body like smoking cigarette, drinking alcohol, taking prohibited drugs, engaging in pre-marital sex is forbidden. Every law which God has given has been for our benefit. And because God loves us, He wants us to obey His commands to protect and promote our happiness; just as a parent protects his child (I couldn’t believe I said that to my father). My dad was silent. Whew!
Just when I thought it’s over, he suddenly asked me if I still know how to lead a NOVENA. (Oh God, rescue me!) This is the greatest shock of my life! I told him I don’t even know how a novena is being done and leading it will drastically make a fool out of me. He, again, asked why I didn’t know it. I said Catholics only do that. I noticed that his face became stern, then I realized I just slipped! I remembered I haven’t told him that I’m a RENEWED Christian already. He, then, asked me seriously, “Aren’t you Catholic anymore?” I don’t know what to answer so I just smiled. I tried to escape the question by explaining to him that God doesn’t want long, memorized and repeated prayers because He is not deaf. (See Matthew 6:7-8) I told him that sincere prayers are spontaneous. It also need not be bridged through saints or whoever because God hears and listens to us. All of us have the capacity to pray and speak to God directly. We need not say something like “Saint A, pray for us,” or “Our lady of B, pray for us/have mercy on us,” because our relationship to God is personal. God is the only One who can save us through His Son Jesus Christ. Saints or prophets can only be one of the testimonies that God exists, nothing more, nothing less. They cannot save us.
Thank God, with that explanation, He kept me out of a possible debate with my dad. But it didn’t end there. My dad conspiratorially said that I was just being RELIGIOUS. What the?! My dad was really drunk. He’s not the only person who said I’m religious. There are several. Some people misunderstood my personal relationship with God. We are all born as religious beings. It only differs on how we use our being religious for that matter. As for me, I’m seeking and worshipping God, not a certain religion. We do not have to pray repeated prayers while holding some sort of necklace with beads and cross. We do not have to call out saints to help us pray to God (I can’t imagine myself rubbing my favorite hanky on a lifeless icon or statue…weird)
Okay now, man is a religious being in spite of some of his own objections. People long for some sort of religious experience. That is why I’m pissed off whenever some people say that I’m a religious person. I mean, we are all religious beings for crying out loud! They don’t have to POINT IT OUT right on my face because they, too, are religious just as I am. Some people tend to identify a person as religious when he/she confidently talks about God, Jesus, faith, salvation and the like. They can’t grasp the fact that they are also religious… I just don’t know what stuff they are being religious to… but I can guess.