Hallo, good morning!
Now it is 11.34 AM in Germany. Still morning, huh?
It's quite a long time I didn't write my blog anymore and it's so hard to write with Macbook!
Oh Gott. Especially when it's Macbook with a German keyboard. (Please do not misunderstand me. It's not mine. Just borrow it from a friend, lol)
Okay, what am I gonna tell you this time? Hm hm hm. Let me think about it. I am so happy today. Have actually lots to tell. But I have to think first how I should start my story. The opening should always be started with a good sentence right?
So, everybody knows that today is Pentecost. For they who do not know about it, it is the seventh Sunday after Easter, the Christian will commemorate the Holy Spirit upon disciples. So I went today to a church in Höhr-Grenzhausen, a small city of Westerwald. Somehow I wanted to look for a new atmosphare and I just landed here by a friend of mine. At 10 o'clock started the Mass. I was there 1 minute before the Mass held on and I just read that it is an evangelical church. I actually have no problem to visit the other church. I was also for many times in an evangelical church before. But the Protestant and the Catholic have a little bit different way on doing their Mass. The Catholic (in my opinion) is more quiet and the songs are a little bit boring, even I love to attend the Mass with those boring songs in Indonesien. On the contrary with the Catholic, the Protestant is more cheerful and the songs for me are more alive. That's why sometimes I like to attend the evangelical church because I also feel alive when I sing with them. And for me, going to church is not only a duty or just because I am a Catholic, then I should always go to church. No. For me, going to church is more like how I give a little bit time for my heavenly Father. After a long busy week, I give 1 hour for Him, to praise Him, to feel Him getting closer to me, and to tell Him all of my ups-and-downs. It is about the relationship between me and my Father, not the duty between daughter and Father. At least, that's all I can say.
So, based on my principle that going to church means the relationship between me and Him, it's also important if I go to church and when I come back, I don't feel empty like "Oh God, what was I doing? I didn't even understand what the priest said." And here is the problem. I could not say that I "get" something when I attended the catholic church in Germany. Maybe because I don't understand the language that is used on the songs and also the priest worships with a (for me) difficult level of German language. I don't know if it is only me who feels that way or.. I have no clue. But it is also the reason why in Germany I don't like to attend the church. (At least, I go when I will) Because at the end I feel always empty. Because I don't understand. And I hate it. What's the meaning of it?
But today, I have a new experience that opened my mind. Like I said before, I don't have a problem to attend the evangelical or catholic church. For me, we all have one God and you have a right to attend something that brings you peace. So I just attended the Mass in this evangelical church. And here that I find so interesting. It is not only the evangelical Mass, but also the catholic. They celebrate together, try to know each other without look who you are and what religion you have. We were praying together, listening to the woman who explained the Pentecost, singing together. I really like it. The story from the Bible that the woman told was also in an easy German. They made it somehow uncomplicated in a purpose that the children understand it very well. And for the foreigner like me, it's a very easy way to understand what they actually want to say to us through this story. I also met a man who sat beside me. We got to know each other, and he asked where I am from. We chatted al little bit then he asked me "Is there in Indonesien also this kind of Mass, where the Protestant and the Catholic celebrate the Mass together?" I just smiled and was thinking, then I answered, "I don't think so."
At the end, what I will say is:
It is very nice to praise God together that way. You don't need to be shame because you don't have the same religion with them. We just pray together, sing together, give our time for God together, and give peace to the others together. At the end you can realize that God is one and why should we make Him 3 or 5 in the name of religion?
And like it's written in Matthew 18:20
"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."
Love,
Adisti
