Elijah Hernandez - Church Visit #2

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context. 
When the service commenced we began with standing, and then the service transitioned back and fourth to kneeling, sitting, and standing. This was different from standing and then sitting once the sermon starts at my church, and also was different from the Eastern Orthodox service where I stood the whole time. The Catholic mass that I attended this past Sunday was not too different from the Eastern Orthodox service in that they both consisted of reciting Holy Liturgy, the Priest 'preaching' for a very short time, and then closing with the eucharist. Although the two were not too different, they both are so different from the church I am used to attending and the church's I have attended my whole life.

How did the worship service illuminate for you the history and contours of global christianity. 
I think that something that always strikes me is the beautiful designs of the church and all the amazing art that is displayed. With this being said, as we recited the Holy Liturgy, I was reminded, once again, of the division between the east and west, the Filioque clause was apart of the Nicene Creed that we recited. I am not sure why I always look for the creed, but every time I am reminded that we need to strive, as members of the church, to bring back the unity of the body. Other than this dynamic, it is refreshing to be apart of a worship service that appreciates the history and tradition of the church and does not cast it out as a hinderance but sees it as being faithful to God.

How did the worship service illuminate for your personal identity as a Christian. 
With this particular service being in Latin, I went in with the mind set that it was going to seem much longer than it actually was, and that I was most likely not going to get much out of it. As a westerner, sometimes I am tempted to think that if a worship service is not a particular way, is God really working or is man just creating an atmosphere that tricks people into thinking that He is? Not only is this incredibly cynical but it can totally hinder the experience that you could have at ANY church service, and during this specific service I saw the Spirit at work. I saw a mother and her two sons, one on either side of her (they would not stop distracting each other) and as the service continued, I noticed how she held them, and how she adored them. She adored them so much that she got them dressed so nicely, and brought them to a mass that was spoken in Latin, believing that God was there and that the boys that she admired so much, needed this. That was beautiful to me, because she's experienced Jesus in a service like this, and this reminded me that no matter how the service is done, the Spirit will move as it pleases.