In trying to understand why I came to rely on myself as a trusted authority in large and small matters, I recalled that I had been reared Catholic. There were no counselors on every street corner, but there was one every Friday of the school year in every confession box of churches in Louisville parishes. There sat our Parish Priest. He was our original Counselor.
After an examination of conscience under the watchful eye of an observing nun, each child went into the booth to confess sins, receive admonishment for wrongdoing, and accept penance for the sins committed. The Parish Priest gave words of encouragement for improving daily lives.
After a period of time, the “I talked back to my mother two times” and the stern admonishment that followed became in-brained to such an extent that the wrongdoing was perceived as wrong before occasioning and thus not repeated,
I learned, as many Catholic children did, to become my own counselor so “ Think about it and if it is wrong, do not even think about doing it!” became a repeated dictate during summer vacations when I did not visit the confession booth as often.
Conscience has not left me in later years I still preview actions with a “Think about it…” mindset. Gentle nuns no longer glance over my shoulder but they may as well be standing there as I still feel their soft shadow. It is their guidance and the encouragement of that Parish Priest that I still rely on when I am in doubt. “…and if it is wrong, I do not even think about doing it.”