Good Friday reflection

Like any practising Catholic, I went to church for Good Friday mass yesterday. After four years in Australia, the super jammed traffic and super packed church compound at KK shocked me a bit. I thought coming an hour earlier before the mass time would get me a place inside the church. Little did I think of bringing a picnic chair just in case...and there I was, stuck outside the church under the hot sun. Like many others. It would have been so easy to simply walk away and forget all about Good Friday.

I looked at all the people-some loooking grim and tired, some chasing after little toddlers who couldn't understand why they had to be there, some obviously frail-but all seemingly so into the celebration. And their faith amazed me, as usual. How could I not be when just that morning as we were watching a documentary about Jesus, my little boy asked me, "why didn't Jesus use his power to get off the cross?" It struck me that many must have been asking the same question. Why indeed? The Christian faith teaches that it is because of LOVE that Jesus endured the crucification...which might be too abstract to some to understand. I guess that's why different religions suit different people.

It must be faith that brought all these people to the Good Friday congregation. Faith which is sometimes difficult to explain with logic. And as long as the faith makes you comfortable, and you feel that it helps you to lead a good life, then that is your truth...

In the name of religion?

I admit I was disgusted to read the news about some men from a certain religion spying into other people's religious place and pretending to participate in the ritual for whatever reason. First disgusted, now sad. What an invasion of privacy. What a disrespectful act. How low can people stoop to achieve the sense of victory in the name of religion? Isn't it irony that people who are supposed to be religious, who are expected to lead other people in good examples actually do just the opposite?
It matters not what religion you believe in- if you are truly religious, you are supposed to be the light of others, to bring peace and love and hope, to promote justice...

But then again, some people care more about quantity than quality. It is disturbing to think that such people aim to have as many followers as they can, not on teaching these followers how to live better.

I honestly feel that religion is a personal choice, not an imposed one. No one should have the right to force others to believe in their religion. Everyone should have the right to practice their belief in peace. Most of all, everyone should respect other's religions and leave each other to practice their belief in private. I'm sure God, whoever it is or whatever it is, would be much happier to see a peaceful world than a world full of so-called believers that make the non-believers' life miserable...

My sentiments exactly

Was browsing through my blog reading list and found this piece by RPK which brought smile to my face. Here's the excerpts:

"One million or even 100 million poor and starving Africans converting to Islam is not something to be proud of. But if Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, was to become a Muslim then that is cause to celebrate with the slaughter of 100 camels and 300 sheep. That proves beyond any shadow of doubt that Islam is the correct religion and it further proves that I was right all along in subscribing to Islam. Hey, even Prince Charles agrees with me and Prince Charles is no ordinary human being.

This ‘we won’ and ‘we were right all along’ is not only a Muslim obsession but also an obsession of all religions. So before you take this as a cue to start your Islam-bashing please note that the word ‘Islam’ can be replaced with the word ‘Christianity’, ‘Hinduism’ or whatever. No religion is exempted from this ‘competitive spirit’ and the obsession to ‘prove itself’ by the converts it attracts -- and the higher the profile of the convert the higher your win and the stronger your message of being ‘right’."

Link below:

http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/23724/84/

I was just thinking of the very thing. And he is very right to say that it doesn't happen with said religion only, it is a universal phenomenon. Perhaps many followers of a religion they subscribe to think that having people convert to their religion makes them winners. Well if the convert does so because they have found their truth and peace, good on them. But as RPK pointed out, that is not always the case.

In the end, what counts is one's own belief, and how that belief guides one to be a better person, to be a contribution to the human race. How I wish people realize that...

Good Friday and cultural influence

I am not an anthropologist, but I've always been fascinated with things to do with the human race and their cultures. As I sat in church, participating in the Good Friday celebration today, the various reactions of people during the veneration of the cross continued to amazed me. Some people lightly kissed the crucifix, some bowed, and some even kneeled, bowed and kissed it with great reverance. Yet some refused to do the act, although later I saw them went to receive the communion. It could be culture or choice that drives people to this celebration then, I said to myself.

I might not understand fully the significant of the act, but I understand enough to know that one kisses the crucifix to show gratefulness and respect toJesus' who died on the cross to bear the sins of sinners (am I not one?). I've done it perhaps 20 times, that's equal more than half of my life, and while I questioned the very act before I came to be comfortable with my faith, I've never really been made to feel that I was worshipping an object, contrary to popular belief. Now that must be acceptance of one's faith, or it could also be due to cultural influence.

It's strange that I've never really had the chance to practice my own culture when I was growing up. Must have been due to modernization or 'mainsreamization' of minor societies like mine. But one thing for sure, I hold a healthy respect toward my culture. When my grandfather or grandmother performed one of their cultural rituals (bless their souls), I always felt overwhelmed with pride and pleasure, of feeling of belonging to something solid and traditional. Now my grandparents, before they embraced Catholic, used to be 'traditionalists'. And yet they didn't have any problem converting. Apart from having had been approached by missionaries who lived a simple and honest life, I can think of another reason why they did it.

It must be the 'fit' factor. In some way, Christianity fits with my people's cultural beliefs. Someone long ago told me that the concept of sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is nothing alien to my people. In our story of creation, a young lady was sacrificed during famine to save the people of her land. From her blood grew rice and other food plants. And so I think that is the 'fit' concept. Furthermore, our people believed (and some still do) that once the soul leaves the body, it went up to this special place on top of the Kinabalu Mountain, which was thought to be the highest place on earth (our earth obviously). In a way, that resembles 'going up to heaven'.

Traditional cultures might or might not influence one's religious belief. In my case, it might have. And that is another reason why I feel comfortable with my faith, regardless of whether or not I am truly religious.