Prayer and Reflection

I notice that a lot of the attendees of mass are elderly. As I was praying, a word that came to mind was "respect." I ought to show a lot of respect for Gordon. He's 85 years old. I think that he chooses to believe that I am seriously thinking about converting to Catholicism while I continue to mention that I am observing for class; however, an interest in the doctrines of Catholicism has been sparked in my mind. There is a part of me that feels that I should be thinking about the fun of the weekend and not thinking about differences between Catholics and Protestants. This is what most young people are thinking about. That's why you won't see them at mass. It seems like the older you get, the more inclined you are to "get religion" as the possibility of death becomes greater. Maybe this is why mainly old folks are at mass. Hopefully visiting the Catholic church will help me to clarify my beliefs while I talk to mentors and teachers at Biola to gain a clear understanding of different church doctrines. I pray that this is wise and not vain.

There is a sense of reverence in the Catholic church. I pray that I treat my walk with Christ with a greater sense of reverence and place my focus on him, not on rituals. I am actually going to visit again soon, not for class. I pray that God would give me prudence as I further investigate Catholic beliefs. I also pray that God will continue to show me ways in which other people perceive him so that I can gain a greater understanding, and hopefully a truthful understanding of Him.

St. Paul of the Cross Revisited

My friend Gordon from St. Paul of the Cross invited me back to mass to visit. In my last blog about St. Paul of the Cross, I did not mention that I visited Gordon's house after mass. We stopped by so Gordon could get me some Catholic literature, which I posted on my last blog. His house seemed distinctly Catholic. He had pictures of Mary, saints, and Popes on his walls. He receives a lot of Catholic literature in the mail from different organizations. Catholicism seems to be part of his lens through which he perceives the world. Gordon seems pretty set on converting me to Catholicism. While I don't feel convicted to convert, I do feel as though I should learn more about Catholicism. In doing so, I will discover more about church history as well as doctrine on which Catholics and Protestants disagree.

This mass had more attendees than the last mass I visited. It was Fat Tuesday. The congregation seemed a bit more diverse this time too. Half, if not more, of the congregation was Latino. The woman with the powerful voice leading the hymns was African American. The head pastor gave the sermon this time. He was Filipino. I attended the Fat Tuesday Lasagna dinner that night and the demographics seemed to be about the same. The pastor was very casually dressed, which actually made him seem a lot friendlier to me. Everyone I met was friendly. Gordon told them that I was looking into the Catholic faith. Then I would tell them that I had come for a class requirement and Gordon had been entertaining any curiosities I had about Catholicism. I tried to ask Gordon questions about Catholicism that puzzled me, but he didn't seem to answer my questions with information I didn't already know. I'll have to talk to the pastor sometime. Gordon did give me an article written by a convert to Catholicism. I have posted it below. Click on the pages to enlarge them. This article raises more questions in my mind about Catholic doctrine. The most puzzling thing to me is their belief that the Eucharist is the actual body and blood of Christ, not a symbol. These visits to mass have made more curious about how the church formed and how different churches formed different beliefs.

Frank Hermann Article Pages 1-3

Frank Hermann Article Pages 4-8

Oraciones y Reflexiones

Visiting Semillia de Mostaza makes me remember the times I have visited Mexico. All the times I have been in Mexico I have been on mission trips and I have been around Mexican Christians. When I've been in Mexico, I have felt closest to God. There is more of a simplicity about the Christian walk in Mexico. There is also a greater reliance on God. Semillia de Mostaza was a small dose of Mexico for me.

Right now, there is a complication in my walk with Christ. I find myself getting hung up on little issues that cause doubts. When I am struggling with such issues, I tend to forget about the work of the Spirit. Somehow I can ignore the closeness with God I have experienced when my faith is challenged. What can I do about this? One option is moving to Mexico. Jose invited me to go with him if he moves there. This will require more prayer. Another option is to be in constant remembrance of God’s work in my life. I can continue to struggle answering difficult questions while being affirmed by the work that the Spirit has already done in me. Another thing I need to do is continue to rely on God. I have just about everything I need to survive comfortably at this point in my life. Giving something up might be a way to focus on how much I need God to sustain me.

Semilla de Mostaza

Last Sunday I visited Semilla de Mostaza. In English this means "faith of a mustard seed." Semilla de Mostaza is a Spanish-speaking, Foursquare church that congregates after the English-speaking service I regularly attend. Jose and Arlene Coronado pastor Semilla de Mostaza. They started the church three and a half years ago with only two other members. Now the membership has grown to about seventy-five. Jose believes that God wants to use them to plant churches, so their family may move to Mexico to plant another church within the next year. Jose is from Guadalajara. He told me that the best and fastest way to learn Spanish is to get a Mexican girlfriend. I supposed I wouldn't be opposed to this method of learning, but as I observed the service I realized that my Spanish comprehension has greatly increased in the past year due to the classes I have taken. I was easily able to pick up the main points of Jose's sermon. The gentleman in front of me, Victor, was nice enough to translate the service for me by writing the sermon notes in English. Here's the program the Semilla de Mostaza provides with the notes Victor wrote.

Victor says that he prefers to worship in English, but Semilla de Mostaza is the best church for his family.

I was the only Anglo looking person at the service, but I wasn't bothered by it. I had met several of the church members after the service I usually attend. One of the most culturally different things about Semilla de Mostaza is the music. Some people clap on beats 1 and 3. Other people clap on beats 2 and 4. People bring tambourines and even dance a bit. There is a lot of applause and shouting between songs. Here's a video of a worship song.



During the time in the service to meet and greet one another, people seemed to be quite friendly. They greeted each other, "Dios te bendiga." People kissed one another on the cheek and the time of greeting lasted longer than it does in services I usually attend.

During this service was the first time I had seen someone "slain in the Spirit." It was really a bit strange to me. Jose called people to the front. People began speaking in tongues and praying over a particular woman. Jose touched her head and she fell on the ground prostrate, weeping. I hadn't experienced something like this in the past. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. My confusion was only heightened because people were speaking in Spanish and in tongues. This week I encountered things that were culturally different and spiritually different. What will I experience in the weeks to come?

Pray and Reflections on Step Off

I knew going to Step Off that I would be uncomfortable. I didn't know anyone there and I knew that the people I met were going to be different from me. Knowing that Step Off was a church definitely made me more comfortable because I knew that someone would feel obligated to say "hi" to me. I don't have much in common with Asian gangsters. As I prayed about Step Off I thought about Sam's sermon. He said to find out why something is important to others that is not important to you. Not only do I feel uncomfortable around Asian gangsters, but I feel uncomfortable around a lot of people. I felt convicted by Sam's message because I'm not sure if I really care about what is important to others whether they are Asian gangsters, someone from a different back ground, or just someone with whom I've never been able to hold a conversation. I feel like God is telling me to talk to people I am not naturally inclined to talk to and find out what is important to them and why. I've never been good at starting conversations. I don't know how I am going to do this yet, but I will continue to pray about it.