thoughshebebutlittle1:

Hot take: It’s okay to emphasize that Catholicism isn’t only the “smells and bells,” but if I were to have abandoned all the external signs of my faith because my relationship with Christ was failing, I would no longer be Catholic.

Call it fake or superficial if you’d like, but when I’m struggling, I’ve learned to cling for dear life to those things I can still see, touch, and smell. Medals, veils, crucifixes, candles, incense, etc., are not God. But they are tangible reminders of what I have now, what I am striving for, and what I would lose if I walked away.

I don’t wear a crucifix because I think I’m done striving for holiness, or because I think I have a perfect relationship with God. I wear a crucifix because sometimes it’s all I have.