Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. To honor the most important week of the Church's year, I would like to share a few reflections on what India has taught me about my faith. This country is practically a world religions course in itself, but here is what the Christian-minority country and culture has taught me about Catholicism so far:
Most people in India are Hindu or Muslim, but the Christian presence is still strong. Catholic religious orders run countless English-medium schools, and Sunday masses can become quite full. On the other hand, even students at the Catholic college where I attend classes asked why there was a smudge on my forehead on Ash Wednesday. I also have had a few interesting conversations while attempting to explain Lenten observances. This differs drastically from my experiences at Catholic schools in Minnesota. Christianity exists, but it is not an everyday part of Kolkata's culture.
Readings and Holy Eucharist are the same, but there is something that makes masses different here. Music is very unlike ours at home. They say things a bit differently. But, in the end, it's a Catholic mass.
The Sign of Peace after the Lord's Prayer does not necessarily need to be a handshake. In a culture where respectful greetings include bowing with hands together at one's chest, this is the Sign of Peace. But it still means the same thing.
Giving up meat on Fridays during lent is nothing. Many people are "veg" year-round for their religion. And this includes no eggs or fish. Some even refuse onions and potatoes because eating these vegetables kills the plant (whereas I can pick an apple without killing the tree).
I used to think that "Salt of the Earth" referenced salt as something that can add flavor to foods to make them a bit better. A homily a few months ago changed this image. Here, nobody will even touch a meal that lacks a heavy dose of salt. The simple substance that I overlook in America is absolutely necessary for everything. People even put it on fresh fruit. In this light, striving to be the "Salt of the Earth" is not an option to make the world a bit better. It fulfills a necessity such that we fail in our duty to the Earth if we do not act as salt.
Every Holy Thursday, we read about Jesus washing his disciples' feet. In Minnesota, our feet washing means taking off shoes and socks (or boots, as may be the case this year) to reveal relatively clean feet that we pour water over symbolically. Religion teachers have tried to explain that washing feet was work for the lowest servants, but I never really understood. That is, until I began walking the filthy streets of Kolkata wearing sandals. Within minutes, my feet were absolutely disgusting! I try to wash my feet every day simply because they become so dirty so quickly. And I certainly would not wish to make anyone else wash my feet for me - it would be far too demeaning. Now I understand: when Jesus washed his disciples' feet, he did a thankless and disgusting task that nobody would ever ask him to do for them. The example tells us to do for others even those undesirable tasks that they would never want to ask anyone to do for them.
Finally, Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata is an inspiration. Every Catholic church and school that I have seen has some reference to this woman who will be a Saint sooner rather than later. And a visit to her Missionaries of Charity Mother House explains why this is so: her organization has grown to serve countless needs in Kolkata and beyond. The original charity, which provided a home for the dying, has been joined by charities aimed at helping children with special needs, feeding and housing the poor, and more. Mother Teresa prayed for the Sainthood of Blessed Father Damien, who helped lepers in the Hawaiian island of Molokai. This seems fitting for someone who also left a European home to dedicate her existence to helping strangers in need. Could I even imagine having the dedication to God required for this kind of life? I don't know. For now, I feel honored to have visited Mother Teresa's tomb and volunteered in a school in the city where she lived and worked.
I hope these reflections can be of interest to someone this Holy Week. Maybe it's taking things out of the context I have been familiar with for so long, but this land that is not primarily Christian has encouraged me to reflect quite a bit about what I believe and why. And, in case I don't have the chance to send this message again before next Sunday, Happy Easter to everyone!
Most people in India are Hindu or Muslim, but the Christian presence is still strong. Catholic religious orders run countless English-medium schools, and Sunday masses can become quite full. On the other hand, even students at the Catholic college where I attend classes asked why there was a smudge on my forehead on Ash Wednesday. I also have had a few interesting conversations while attempting to explain Lenten observances. This differs drastically from my experiences at Catholic schools in Minnesota. Christianity exists, but it is not an everyday part of Kolkata's culture.
Readings and Holy Eucharist are the same, but there is something that makes masses different here. Music is very unlike ours at home. They say things a bit differently. But, in the end, it's a Catholic mass.
The Sign of Peace after the Lord's Prayer does not necessarily need to be a handshake. In a culture where respectful greetings include bowing with hands together at one's chest, this is the Sign of Peace. But it still means the same thing.
Giving up meat on Fridays during lent is nothing. Many people are "veg" year-round for their religion. And this includes no eggs or fish. Some even refuse onions and potatoes because eating these vegetables kills the plant (whereas I can pick an apple without killing the tree).
I used to think that "Salt of the Earth" referenced salt as something that can add flavor to foods to make them a bit better. A homily a few months ago changed this image. Here, nobody will even touch a meal that lacks a heavy dose of salt. The simple substance that I overlook in America is absolutely necessary for everything. People even put it on fresh fruit. In this light, striving to be the "Salt of the Earth" is not an option to make the world a bit better. It fulfills a necessity such that we fail in our duty to the Earth if we do not act as salt.
Every Holy Thursday, we read about Jesus washing his disciples' feet. In Minnesota, our feet washing means taking off shoes and socks (or boots, as may be the case this year) to reveal relatively clean feet that we pour water over symbolically. Religion teachers have tried to explain that washing feet was work for the lowest servants, but I never really understood. That is, until I began walking the filthy streets of Kolkata wearing sandals. Within minutes, my feet were absolutely disgusting! I try to wash my feet every day simply because they become so dirty so quickly. And I certainly would not wish to make anyone else wash my feet for me - it would be far too demeaning. Now I understand: when Jesus washed his disciples' feet, he did a thankless and disgusting task that nobody would ever ask him to do for them. The example tells us to do for others even those undesirable tasks that they would never want to ask anyone to do for them.
Finally, Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata is an inspiration. Every Catholic church and school that I have seen has some reference to this woman who will be a Saint sooner rather than later. And a visit to her Missionaries of Charity Mother House explains why this is so: her organization has grown to serve countless needs in Kolkata and beyond. The original charity, which provided a home for the dying, has been joined by charities aimed at helping children with special needs, feeding and housing the poor, and more. Mother Teresa prayed for the Sainthood of Blessed Father Damien, who helped lepers in the Hawaiian island of Molokai. This seems fitting for someone who also left a European home to dedicate her existence to helping strangers in need. Could I even imagine having the dedication to God required for this kind of life? I don't know. For now, I feel honored to have visited Mother Teresa's tomb and volunteered in a school in the city where she lived and worked.
I hope these reflections can be of interest to someone this Holy Week. Maybe it's taking things out of the context I have been familiar with for so long, but this land that is not primarily Christian has encouraged me to reflect quite a bit about what I believe and why. And, in case I don't have the chance to send this message again before next Sunday, Happy Easter to everyone!
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