Liturgy

Liturgy

A belief in God is the fundamental principle of every religion, nevertheless the object of religion is not simply to preach the doctrine of the existence of God as a theory; it goes far beyond that. Religion seeks to give guidance of the conviction that God is a living force in the lives of many, and prayer is the way to achieve this great end of eternal life. My parents and my grandmother are Buddhists. Growing up, I would follow my parents to carry the rituals for our ancestors such as burning the incense sticks and paper “packages”, but I consider myself have no religion. My first experience with God was in elementary school in which it was a Christian school. However, at that time, other than regular daily prayers every morning, I never had a chance to attend a Christian worship in a church. Not until when I came to the United States, I attended my first Christian worship because the first host family that I was staying with is Christians and they attend worships every Sunday habitually.   Last Sunday (11/7/2010), I decided to attend a catholic liturgy in Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. I have noticed, the Catholic Liturgy and the Christian worship are two religious rituals that in essence are parallel, but are also different in many aspects.
Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Church in San Francisco. Built in 1854 and it is California’s first Catholic Cathedral. It is a historical landmark and one of the oldest buildings still standing in California. I came to this church for the liturgy simply because I was attracted to its grand and beautiful surroundings. Located in China Town, the environment was peaceful yet lively. There was a large community of Chinese attending the liturgy on Sunday.   The welcoming, joyful atmosphere was apparent as soon as I walked through the doors.   A simple trio of violin, piano and vocals in the background created a comfortable atmosphere for people to greet each other and wait for the liturgy to...