Cafeteria Catholic

"I knelt and I started to pray and prayed for everybody I though of, Brett and Mike and Bill and Robert Cohn and myself, and all the bull-fighter, separately the ones I liked, and lumping all the rest, and I prayed for myself again, and while I was praying for myself I found was getting sleepy, so I prayed the bull-fights would be good, and that it would be a fine fiesta, and that we would get some fishing" (pg 102-103).

As Barnes arrives in Spain in chapter 10, he decides to visit a cathedral by himself and pray. While praying he catches himself getting off track and thinking of topic after topic. I hate to admit it, but I have caught myself doing this more than once. He has mentioned his Catholicism a few times throughout the novel, but never actually goes to Mass or reads a scripture passage. Many people call themselves Catholics, but pick and choose what they are actually going to do in their faith. My 7th grade teacher, Mrs. Williams, told us that people that do that are classified as "cafeteria Catholics," and I believe that title fits Barnes perfectly. The first time he actually sits down and prays, he can't even focus on God for a few minutes. As he describes who he prays for, he prays for his companions, but then selfishly goes back to himself. It is hard to say that we don't do that, because most people do. I try to focus on others when I pray, but I always mention one thing about myself at least. On occasion, I feel like I'm only praying for is myself, even if I mention other people in my prayer, somehow it eventually leads to my personal satisfaction. Although I am criticizing Barnes, I feel that many people, including myself, fall into that category at one time or another.