Friday, March 25, 2005
Losing my religion
I have no idea what has gotten into me. In recent times, I can’t help but feel that liturgical rites and customs seem to be overrated and overly-rigid. There is a little voice in my head which keeps me thinking that traditional rituals need to give way to more contemporary and more laidback method of evangelization and worship.
As a result, the ceremonies of the Holy Week became an internal Q&A session for me: Why are the bells rung during the Gloria? Why must the priest hold the ‘Host’ and have a mini-procession around the church? Why do we ‘throw’ incense on the bible, altar and congregation? Why do we need to bow at certain times?...
I vividly recall being taught the rationale behind these rituals during catechism classes. And as I was thinking it through again, it suddenly made perfect sense to me and I began to appreciate these little customs of the Catholic church. The very things that have kept us going on for the past 2,000 years….It’s like how laws are a necessary evil, traditions and rituals too, are necessary to keep us close to our roots.
The only ‘misfortune’ I feel is that, through time, these traditions become a routine and people continue doing it without fully understanding why it’s done. That is when the essence is lost and people start leaving the church.
Having said all that, I am really proud of my religion – A faith which is so rich in history and spirituality…A lifestyle so blessed and eternal.
Posted by Jo at 1:41 PM
