Seeing Saint Francis Xavier in Goa and the ongoing Catholic conundrum inside the mind of Molly Mullen

 Thousands line up for Mass and to see the tomb of Saint Francis

I did it. I booked my flight. My first solo adventure ever. I had always had a companion on my travels but this religious pilgrimage I was going to make alone… or so I thought.

I recently met a young gentleman who I have spent every waking and non-waking moment with. And even through his devotion to atheism he bit the bullet and came to Goa with me. I tempted him with beach time and drinks with umbrellas.

But this blog post isn't about him. It's about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Actually, it's not about Him either.

It's about religion.

I booked flights, found hotels, took days off work all in the name of being at the Basilica of Bom Jesus for the Feast of Saint Francis Xavier, where he is interred.  And after all that fuss, what did I do? I left the Feast Mass early, grumpy and in the need of gin. 

The Mass started with some 'hymn' to the tune of a Dusty Springfield song. That was the first warning. I was sitting there thinking to myself, "Where on Earth is Roc O'Connor to save the day with some real music?" Oh yes, Fr Roc was in Omaha celebrating the Feast with my father and my favorite Jesuits in my favorite chapel singing songs like "Be Not Afraid" and "Glory to God" and "Sing to the Mountains." And I was here, in tropical paradise, with the Goan Jesuits and a family of mosquitoes about to get an earful.

The music wasn't the worst part. That I could take with a chuckle. It was the homily. Ohhhhh, that homily. In 20 minutes he managed to offend me, my family, the man I love and all my nearest and dearest back in Omaha. I should have taken it as a warning when he began talking about the evil hegemony the United States is inflicting upon the world, forcing us into a more secular lifestyle.

He continued, "Whatever group you belong to, be it Youth for Christ, Families for Christ, Singles for Christ (huh?!) it is your responsibility to set the world on fire, living fearlessly as Christians and bringing people back to the Christian faith like Saint Francis Xavier…"

I don't mean to be a thorn in the side of our Mother Church, but I don't want to bring my friends back into the Christian fold. They seem pretty content scooping secular ice cream, preparing secular felafel, making secular spreadsheets and taking secular photographs. Since when is Christianity under attack anyway?

But I made it through the homily with little more than an eye roll. It wasn't until after the Eucharist when there was an impromptu prayer to turn every nation into a Christian nation that I had to quietly gather up my things and retreat back into the secular world. And all I could think of at the time was, "I bet Dad got a killer homily back in Omaha. Fie, Fie on Goa!"

And as I sat in my secular restaurant, smelling the secular gin on the breath of my secular boyfriend, enjoying a secular cigarette I thought, "God bless the atheists."

Secular room service to take the edge off