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Mountain View News Saturday, October 11, 2025


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 

 

[Nyerges is the author of “How to Survive Anywhere,” “Extreme Simplicity,” “Til Death 
Do Us Part?” and other books. He can be reached at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com or 
Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041]

IN SEARCH OF SOMETHING 


MEET SAMMY SWEETHEART!

Sammy is a sweet 
friend, just over a 
year old. He gets 
along with other 
cats well, but he 
hasn't met a dog 
yet. He would like 
to be adopted with 
one of his siblings: 
Ollie, Rocky, or Dottie. He is so sweet, and 
loves playing with his siblings. He is also very 
talented at napping. Wherever you are, Sammy 
will be close by. 

Sammy especially loves to play with the broom. He will lie down where you're sweeping 
and play gently while you "sweep" him up. He shares 
well, and is a calm eater, although he does love his meals. 
He purrs quietly when petted and will gaze into your eyes 
lovingly.

Sammy is neutered, vaccinated, and tested negative for 
FELV/FIV, making him healthy and ready to find a forever 
home.

Has Sammy melted your heart? You may apply at lifelineforpets.
org/mindys-kittens, or use the qr code, for a chance to 
come and meet him and his siblings.


I don’t recall the first moments that I began to ask questions about some of the 
dogma of Catholicism that I had hitherto simply accepted and taken for granted 
as fact. But first, let’s go back to the beginning, as much as possible.

Though I didn’t have any particular affinity for the “going to church” experience, per se, I did feel 
respect for the individual of the priest, and for the organization of the church and its rich history. 
But to go to church meant to get up early, to wash, to get dressed up in good clothes, to walk the 
five or six blocks to the church, and then to sit there, usually bored while something was going on 
up on the altar. It was stuffy. I could not see. Words that I did not understand were spoken. My 
immediate experience was to examine the wooden pews and their polish or imperfection, the various 
literature that was stuffed into the slots in front of me, and to sit, stand, or kneel as everyone 
around me did likewise. It was not an experience that meant much to me.

But I respected the priest. I knew that he had some unique training, that he was special. He had 
special knowledge, and a closeness to God. I wanted those things. 

Sometime before first grade, I shared with my mother that I wanted to be a priest when I grew up. 
Not that I knew what all that entailed, but I felt that somewhere within that life-choice of “priest” 
was where I wanted to take myself and where I wanted to be. To me, it meant genuine holiness, 
eating simple food, a monastery, Saint Francis, close to nature, meditation, maybe fasting, prayers, 
songs, being close to God. I think what I really wanted was to “be like Jesus,” but not the Jesus we 
were taught about in school. I knew somehow that there was a very real Jesus, a person who lived 
every moment with intent, and to the best of his ability, with rightness. 

 My mother seemed interested and showed me pictures of the clothing that priests wore, 
and explained how she could buy some that would fit me, or she could sew some. We could then 
“play priest” in the backyard in the patio. We talked about how we could fix up the back patio to be 
an altar of sorts, and how I could wear those priest garments, and perform a pretend Mass in the 
backyard. Who would attend such a pretend Mass, I wondered? I assumed it would be my family 
and friends. But all the talk was about the need for clothing, a chalice, the details of the altar, and 
the trappings of the priest business. We didn’t actually discuss what it was that I would do once we 
got all the stuff. I was too young to initiate any action on my own, and so nothing ever came of it, 
which is actually a good thing, because when I said “I wanted to be a priest,” I did not mean that “I 
want to wear the clothes of a priest and pretend to be a priest.” 

 For most of my early years, the church and its ceremonies were both a natural part of my 
life, and a mystery. Natural because I grew up with Mass and Catholic school and the rosary. But 
mysterious because I still didn’t personally have some connection to this “God” that I desired, and 
felt I needed. I felt that there should be more than having a priest as a mediator. I needed to “get 
into in,” to quote Ken Nordine. I wanted the “experience” of one with God, but no one presented 
the “how” to me and I didn’t know what to do or how to ask.

 By my early teens, I got very interested in “what it all means.” But again, I thought about 
it all too much. Should I live my religion only on Sundays, as most other Catholics I knew did? 
For example, my mother told me that it was a mortal sin if you miss Mass on Sunday. I remember 
thinking that my mother got that one wrong, that the Church must mean that missing Mass was 
only a venial sin, which is a lesser sin than a mortal sin. But I learned that she was correct, that in 
one of the councils, or maybe by papal edict, sometime in the year 1000 it was declared that attendance 
at Mass was mandatory, and that it was a mortal sin to not attend! But still, to me, to not 
attend a church on Sunday really seemed more of a violation of a rule of membership, but not what 
I would consider a sin or even a moral lapse. I certainly couldn’t see missing Mass was somehow 
on the same level as killing a person.

 I asked her, “Well, what about in times of war when the church gets bombed and there’s no 
place to go on Sunday?”

 “The priest could still say Mass anywhere,” she responded. “It doesn’t necessarily have to 
be in the church.”

 “And what if the priest got killed in the bombing,” I asked. “What then?”

 “Then someone else who worked with closely with the priest could say Mass, in that emergency.” 
My mother had all the answers.

 “And what if there is no one around who can do that?” I asked, really wanting to know at 
what point the sin begins.

 “Well, under those circumstances, it wouldn’t be a sin.”

 So, this was not an inviolable law. It wasn’t always a sin to miss Mass. It wasn’t like killing 
someone. When I thought about it on my own, I realized that even killing someone might be justified 
in cases of self-defense, or in war, despite the commandment, Thou shalt not kill. So every 
rule or law violated was only as bad as the degree of one’s intent when doing the “violation,” so I 
reasoned. Needless to say, I had many internal conflicts about what I was being taught as “The 
Truth,” and I was obsessed with knowing the actual objective Truth, and I assumed there was such 
a thing, as opposed to what I was taught in school.

 [continued in the book]


Pet of the Week


Astro is a handsome, 4-year-old black Siberian Husky at 
Pasadena Humane with a gentle soul and a playful side. 
While he can be a little shy at first, he warms up with 
calm energy, tasty treats, and a bit of patience - eventually 
leaning in for pets and affection.

Out on walks, Astro is well-mannered and curious. 
He rarely pulls and loves to take his time sniffing and 
observing the world around him. He's done great on field 
trips to local parks, car rides, and even short home visits 
where he enjoyed the pool, naps, and some indoor chill 
time. Though he's strong, he’s not reactive to dogs or 
people but definitely prefers calm environments where 
he can relax.While he’s not super into toys, he loves a 
good splash in the kiddie pool and the occasional burst 
of zoomies once he’s comfortable.Astro is available for a 
10-day adoption trial, giving you a chance to get to know this sweet boy in your home. 

Come meet him today at Pasadena Humane!Astro and all other available animals will 
have their adoption fees waived on Free Adoption Day, October 18th from 10am to 
2pm.

The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, 
and age-appropriate vaccines. 

Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 10:00 – 5:00. View photos of adoptable 
pets at pasadenahumane.org.

New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for 
your pet.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com