brodio<p>A <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/CradleCatholic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CradleCatholic</span></a>. A <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/LapsedCatholic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LapsedCatholic</span></a>? As a wee lad, I did all the stuff - Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation. I was born here all my life. When I was around four years old, the church kicked out my mom and, by extension, my family. An <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/ExcludedCatholic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ExcludedCatholic</span></a>? I explored other practices and faiths, <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/meditation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>meditation</span></a>, <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/yoga" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>yoga</span></a>, <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/Buddhism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Buddhism</span></a>, and all the things. I wanted to not convert to a religion or practice that I had not been born to or wasn't otherwise ancestrally connected. A deep dive into Protestant fellowships lead to immersion into the <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/EarlyChurch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>EarlyChurch</span></a> Fathers and early <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/ChurchHistory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ChurchHistory</span></a>. Entering the <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/OrthodoxChurch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>OrthodoxChurch</span></a>, I lived in several monasteries and wandered around the US like the guy in Way of a Pilgrim. I was ultimately drawn to <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/Theosis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Theosis</span></a> and the <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/PrayerOfTheHeart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PrayerOfTheHeart</span></a>, sometimes called the <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/JesusPrayer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>JesusPrayer</span></a>. Long story short, decades later, a pandemic, and a few ends of the world later, here I am. The <a href="https://social.vivaldi.net/tags/2024Election" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>2024Election</span></a> US has me wondering about US Christianities that support social actions that contradict the teachings of Jesus. Shouldn't Christ's Gospel teachings be central?</p>