Lucy TP-6

A fun tutoring session today. Yuki and I took this session to go to a Catholic Mass. We went to St. Thomas Moore, right across from campus. Yuki is very interested  in religions and had said he wanted to go with me to church because he'd never been to a Catholic Mass before. I picked him up outside of CIES and we headed over to the 5:15 vigil (not a full Mass...but just about- a good taste). Upon entering I showed him what 'holy water' was, and we hung around the side doors so we could peruse Catholic flair. I showed him saints depicted on these little cards. Like Catholic trading cards. I have a few for saints I really feel connected with ("Hello, St. Anthony -{Saint of Lost Things}...Wish it could have been longer since I last prayed to you, but I can not find my keys anywhere.").
I'm saying this all very lightly, but you know.
You know?

So then we sat down up front by a speaker because I know how the place echoes. I sort of wish I had sat Yuki in front of the altar but we were off to the side, where I usually sit...Gotta think for two.
I showed Yuki the missal, the music issue, and a little card that shows the recent changes to Catholic verbage. This happened a year or so ago when the Catholic Church decided to try to get the language in Mass a little closer to the original Latin. It really trips people up.


BEFORE
Priest: The lord be with you
Response: And also with you
Start of the Nicene Creed: 'We believe in one God.’                                     
AFTER
Priest: The lord be with you
Response: And with your spirit
Start of the Nicene Creed: 'I believe in one God.’

Stuff like this.

I'm not sure how much of the homily Yuki understood, but he was incredibly respectful and seemed to really take it all in. I whispered to him a few times in Mass to explain things (receiving communion, etc.) and he could follow along with the responsorial psalms, but I wished I had brought a Bible.

After Mass, he and I went in front of the altar and 'de-briefed'. He had some questions about Mary (in Catholic Churches a statue of her is usually placed right next to the altar) and her divinity.

Yuki's impressions of Catholics and Baptists were very funny. "Baptists are louder, Baptists are funner, They sing more"... I told him he was absolutely right. I explained the ideas of 'proselytizing' and 'fellowship', both which I have observed that Baptists emphasize more than Catholics. "Yes, it was so quiet in there." Yuki did say that he though Catholic Mass was 'more beautiful'.


All in all, I think Yuki got a great introduction in to how Catholics practice their faith.




Afterwards we went to IHOP. It was fitting for our religions tutoring session, since when he had mentioned IHOP previously I had thought 'pancakes' where he had meant 'The International House of Prayer'...Funny moment.