In the spotlight, finding her religion

Via Amy Welborn comes this OUTSTANDING interview with Mary Karr, author of The Liar’s Club on her conversion to Catholicism.

Some very wise stuff here, particularly when she talks specifically about prayer and grace, and her initial experiences of prayer, well before she found a church that fit. I like this part, especially, wherein her AA sponsor urges her to move beyond the simple prayer of “please help…”

And then my friend said, “I want you to develop your relationship with this higher power.” I said: “I don’t believe there is one. What kind of God wants you to get down on your knees?” And she said: “You don’t do it for God. It’s not about God. You’re doing it for yourself.”

How did you respond to that?

I told her, “This doesn’t make any f–ing sense.” And she said: “You are not the right size in the world. You don’t understand your position in the world.” I thought: “That’s true. I’m either a piece of s– or I rule the universe. I go back and forth, and back and forth.”

And so I asked her, how am I supposed to develop this relationship with something that I don’t believe in? She told me, “You go through your day, and if something good happens, then you say, ‘Thanks!'”

After going through motions like that, like a chimpanzee, when I was about 18 months sober, I started to just get a sense of it. The only way I could explain it to people is that it’s south of my neck. It has nothing to do with my head. It’s something you feel in your body.

Even if you’re not Catholic, you’ll want to read it – it’s a real keeper. A genuine woman discussing – in rather earthy language – a genuine and very human Christian life. I know some people will focus only on her language. That’s a little like not seeing the forest for the trees. It’s easy to get picayune and focus on the faults of others, but I like to remember what Mother Theresa said – “when you go to meet God, he is not going to see all the faults, he is going to see only the love, and how much of it you let in and gave out…” (paraphrased).