An Open Mind

Closed minds stifle spiritual growth. An open mind allows the Divine Spirit to show us and teach us new things and to have new experiences. One religious experience I’ve enjoyed was a gathering that allowed members of the group to present a talk each week. My religious background was in Protestant Christianity, and I had never experienced Catholicism. During one of the services I attended, a member shared with us the rosary. Everyone was given a string of beads and together we recited the rosary.

For those of the Catholic persuasion, this is nothing new — and perhaps not exciting. For me, however, it was a new experience, and one that I decided I would enter into with an open mind. In the past, my mind would have balked at the experience because of my former teaching. “Mary was not a god, so why do we worship her or even pay her honor,” or so I was taught.  But, as I opened my heart and mind, I found there was nothing to fear, and plenty to be gained. We honor Mary for what she stands for, an example of the divinity within motherhood, and for the realization that within all of us, the birth of a spiritual being can and does take place. I would have lost that insight had I entered the experience with a closed mind.