[StBernard] Displaced Catholics......

[Westley Annis]

Hey Y'all
Speaking of displaced Catholics, I have to tell you about something that
happened to me in the local grocery store.  I relocated here to NE TX about
20 yrs ago - into a DRY county, no less!  Talk about culture shock.  Anyway,
I am owned by way too many pets and I spend alot of time in the pet food
aisle in various and sundry stores.  Most of the people I meet in these pet
food aisles are as pathetic as I am and equally owned by their pets.  So we
usually commiserate about our fate and how in the world while we divine what
flavors our pets will want this week. What can I say, I talk to everybody.
We St.Benawdians are a friendly people.   One day, I was scouting out our
options as usual, and I started a conversation with another similarily
oppressed pet owner about our challenge.  Suddenly, he turned on me and
started questioning me about my commitment to Christ as my personnal Savior.
I was taken aback, naturally.  He harrangued me about whether I was "saved"
and baptised and thus saved from Satan.  He demanded to know which Church I
attended.  I was so shell shocked by the sudden turn of the conversation I
was almost speechless.  I don't know what made me think of it but I had the
strongest desire to squint my eyes at him and grin and tell him that I was a
Catholic.  He snapped his jaw shut and wheeled away in a tremendous snit!
When I told my family about this incendent, my Dad had the biggest laugh.
He said that goofy guy couldn't handle having a "Papist" near him.  My
sisters suggested I carry my rosary in my purse to whip out at these moments
to request these anti-Catholics to pray with me and that will send them
running.  I know keep my Little Communion Rosary hanging from my rear-view
mirror to keep the crazies away from me.  Oh, and my snake earrings do
pretty much the same.  Hmm, gets you wondering what is really important in
life.....

Penny