So, Khalighat was a great experience for sure. I got to help take some guys to do some rehab on the junky little stationary bikes they have. It was really funny because the guy didn't want to get out of bed and he kept threatening to punch the other volunteer. After a while, we fed the patients by just handing out the food and then we did the dishes and had tea time. One of the sisters that works there right now spent a few years working in Memphis in one of mother teresa's homes.
That reminds me, it is astounding how much they will praise mother teresa. I mean, she was an incredible person no doubt. But to sit around praying to her and about her is kind of ridiculous. I would rather pray to Jesus and tell him that I love him. I may be speaking out of complete ignorance in this because I just saw the group of nuns praying around mother teresa's tomb, which is inside. I also can never get over how much Catholics like to pray to Mary. I really don't understand why they always pray to mary when the Bible clearly teaches that we should pray to the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit.
Tomorrow at 1 pm I will begin the 30 hour train ride and a trip to bangalore that I hope will refuel me a lot. One of the guys I met at Khalighat was saying he went on a trip to Nepal after a month of working here and it really helped more than he expected. He works at Howrah station walking the platforms every day. He said there are a lot of long term volunteers who he goes with and they just find people who are left for dead at the station. It is pretty crazy. He said they find a person about every other day. Then they either care for them there, or if they are bad enough, then they send them to Khalighat. I am really excited about switching to Khalighat after the trip to Bangalore. But I'm also nervous because I don't know how I will react when I come face to face with a dead person (and I am sure that I will there).
Today I am going to SariBari for the 2nd time. I am pumped about going and hoping to get to know the ladies a little better (maybe try to start knowing some names this time lol it is so hard when there are 28 of them). Yea, so I am excited for what God has in all of this and looking forward to another 3 months of Calcutta.
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Hey my brotha, this is Josh.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you writing.
I can understand your confusion on the praying to Mary. I guess I could say pre-India and pre-many conflicting things in my life, I thought it was an odd thing. My Catholic friends would pray to Mary and I didn't know why. I discovered that many of my thoughts were ignorant. Baptists and Catholics were lobbing grenades over a wall and not listening to each other.
Catholics pray to God as we pray to God. But they also pray to Mary, just as you can pray to Mary. It's just sort of a "Mary, Mother of Christ, watch over us" - it is gentle and creates a communion with God that involves the care of a mother and father. We can learn from our contemplation of Mary's heart for her son, Jesus. How she never took her eyes off of her son...and her whole life was dedicated to raising her son - and the pressures of all those things. Protestants do not seek to pray or to contemplate on Mary because it's just not in our tradition. Just know that they also pray to God - and seek the contemplative joy of Mother Mary who loved Christ in a way we will never know.
I'm glad Calcutta is opening up these questions. It's easy to assume that you worship the right way, because we worship the American way. God listens to all languages and hears the cries of the broken - may we learn to love as He loves, and may our hearts nurture our actions as Mary nurtured Jesus.
Peace, brotha. Send my love to the sinners and saints of K-Town.
"They make wonderful claims to the effect that they are upholding the Christian faith into which they have been baptized. But, for all this, it is clear that they have turned everything upside-down. Superstitions reign, and they practice open idolatry of a worse kind than has ever been known, even among pagans. Any reverence for God is destroyed, since each one sets himself up as a saviour in place of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the Papists would respond by saying that they are not apostates, and that they have not abandoned Jesus Christ. But our Lord Jesus Christ is no ghost; he cannot change according to the whims of men." - Calvin, "On Perverting the Gospel of Christ"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lgmarshall.org/Calvin/calvin_varsermon01.html
Our only hope should lie in Jesus and Him alone. He is the only one who can save, love, help, watch over, etc... He is also our only hope of being able to perform these works. Christ in you, the hope of glory. It's his work and our priviledge to experience Him as He uses us. Enjoy Him as He uses and glorifies Himself through you Nic, because I have no doubt that He is using you in your journey. I love you Bro and happy Bday a day early!
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