Chicken of The Sea
Chicken of The Sea
Chicken of The Sea
Theodora Ranelli
Sometimes I feel like the Jessica Simpson of Catholicism. Here’s Jessica Simpson on
Newlyweds in 2003:
Simpson: Is this chicken what I have, or is this fish? I know it’s tuna, but it says
Simpson: What? Don’t make fun of me right now. I’m not in the mood.
Simpson: I’ve had tuna fish, like, sandwhiches and stuff, like this.
Lachey: Baby, you and I have eaten tuna like this before.
Simpson: Oh.
Lachey: You know, 'cause a lot of people eat tuna, it's like a lot of people eat
When people who aren’t Catholic ask me questions like What is the Trinity, or What is the
Rosary, or What do Catholics do on Sundays, or What is the Eucharist? Or how can Jesus
be God? And what’s with the Holy Spirit? – I can sympathize a bit, because I really don’t
know how to explain those things. I’m not sure I understand those things. Even though
I’m not sure how much I believe in the Trinity, I tend to pull it over me like a big, comfy
blanket and revel in the mystery. I feel comfortable in my discrepancies regarding the
Eucharist – see, it’s God in the Eucharist, and it’s Jesus’ actual body and blood, but Jesus is
A spiritual advisor (who is a Muslim convert, by the way) was telling me that I should greet
God as soon as I open my eyes. And I said, I don’t do that, but I thank God in other ways
when I get out of bed. And she said, you know, it’s o.k. to be honest about your spiritual
practice, because the struggles you face on your journey are things that tons of other people
face, too. So it’s part of affirming that we’re not perfect people, a lot of us are stumbling
toward some sort of better communion with God. O.k., in all honesty, then – the mornings
are reserved for me waking up and going coffeecoffeecoffee. And she says, but you can
attempt now. And it’s a long process, it’s o.k., you know, if you don’t figure it out right
I cannot understand God. I can understand God in the way God pulls at my jugular vein, or
that everywhere I turn there is the face of God, or that God undresses my beautiful body
with [God’s] eyes – but everything I know about God is a drop in the ocean. And boy,
everything I know about Catholicism is a nail on my finger compared to the rest of the hand.
And no matter how many degrees in Theology we have, no matter how much church
experience, no matter how many books we all have read – we are all stumbling on our way
to understanding. After all, interpreting the Quran has many layers to it – each verse, I’ve
heard, can be read on 28 levels (I’ve also heard some seven levels, of which each has seven
levels) – this is according to another Sufi friend. I’ve also heard that each letter contains
done it and we will all do it again. It is those little tremors that I love, those – where I see
some sort of glimmer through the confusion. But then again, isn’t that a blessed state to be
in? A state of bewilderment, where you are open and wild? Here’s to being utterly
Theodora Ranelli is a student, writer, and unknower. Theodora doesn't separate the sacred from the profane.
Contact her at tbranelli@gmail.com