Sunday, April 22, 2012

Being a Catholic in a Christian university

Oh well, today is the day I'm being super productive with my blog.
"Imma Catholic. Yo got a problem with dat?"
Here I am, a Catholic in a Christian university (perceive this as ACU)

What it takes?
What happens?

Premise numero uno:

"Being a Catholic means people will ask you a question if you tell them that you go to Sacred Heart or Holy Family. "
They expect me to say:
1. Oh yes, I go to University CoC!
2. Oh yeah, I go to Beltway! (which is a Baptist church) The worship there rocks, man! I feel so alive and refreshed after praising God!
3. Church? Oh I attend Highland. I meet lots of new people there. They're from ACU (duh!)
They will ask me question like:
"Sacred Heart, what church is that?"
"Oh I'm a Catholic, I go to a Catholic church."
"OH WAIT! I thought you're a HINDU, you're from INDONESIA, right?"

(Yes, that happens. Who said that? The-guy-whose-name-shall-not-be-stated-here, that guy from my Music in World Culture class - upon learning about Balinese Gamelan in our class. AHEM, I eat beef, they're wonderful. I'm not a Hindu. He even asked me in Rosa's, a Mexican restaurant. I even ordered enchiladas. Really, Marc?)


Premise numero dos:

"Catholic? You worship Mary, right?"

NO PEOPLE. We don't freaking worship Mary. We worship the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen to that. (gimme your hand people. hands up hands up!)
I have had an experience with some random people in my bible class. Upon being asked about what they consider as a false teaching, this random girl raised her hand and freaking said that her friend worships Mary and use candles.
First of all, nobody worships Mary. We just honor and love her, just as you love yo mama, you love God's mama.
Second of all, what's wrong with candles? They're white, cute and warm. It's just too bad that they're not edible.

Premise numero tres:

"WHAT?! It's just a remembering God's last supper. There is no way the bread and wine will change into legit body and blood of Christ."

I don't care if y'all don't believe it. Just as I don't believe y'all doctrines, you're welcome not to believe my doctrines. Problem solved.
But yeah, I believe that. I believe that the host and the wine (yeah we use wine for communion, hands up hands up) are consecrated to legit body and blood of Christ.
Just recently, there's a huge scandal in Indo, when this random person in random parish in a certain part in Indo (yeah, I'm just too lazy to browse the news), drop the host, and just freaking let it go.
So, yeah, as she felt bad, she told the priest, they found the host, it's full of blood.

So, if you don't believe that, you're welcome to do so.
You with your denomination's doctrines.
Me with my denomination's doctrines.

Premise numero quatro:

"There is no way that a person speak in Tongues."

Again, I just don't care if you don't believe it. I have seen it, I grew up with several people in my church speaking in Tongues. I have gone twice (if I'm not mistaken) to these events where people are like...being poured with the HS. I have seen people just dropped to the floor, talking with this language, using their ability for something good. SOOO, I don't care if you don't believe it.
Just respect it.

So, that's all.
I love Jesus, I love Catholic masses, I love singing in Latin words.
If you have a different point of view, please respect others.
While you're always be a majority in your country, you tend to have a different point of view from me.
So, yeah.

This is my blog post.

Memphis. Day: I-don't-remember-which-day-it-was

Build-a-bear.

The BOMB ever.

The place where my childhood dream is fulfilled.

Breathing the life to my American bear: Sergei (which, btw, is a Russian name).





Oh hey, hey, I think somebody need to bring this franchise to Indonesia. 
Some Indonesian kids need this place: where best friends are made!
A friend that will never tell yo secrets to anybody else (well, except some random guys put a micro recorder or mic+transmission in yo bear)
A friend that will be with you, through happiness and sadness (well, if yo bring it anywhere you go)
Oh well, it is my best friend. 

Happy birthday, Sergei! 

short sudden late night mental invasion


"Michelle is valuable to God. God loves Michelle no matter what. Michelle's wroth is not dependent on Michelle's performance or on what others think of Michelle. Michelle worth is found in the loving eyes of God. If Michelle wins, God loves Michelle. If Michelle loses, God loves Michelle. If Michelle is sinful and selfish, God loves Michelle. He is a covenant God and this love never changes. Michelle is valuable, precious and worth dying for just as she is."


Mom told me several days ago, right before I went to sleep:
"Study hard. Be the best. I always wish for your success."

And I couldn't sleep easily that night. My mind worked hard; it worked just as hard as when I was doing my research paper. If I made an analogy to the car's gear, it's freaking in the fifth gear.

"Being in the top, then what?"
"Being success, then what?"
"Getting straight A, then what?"

Does God care about that?
God does not care if I got 101 or 45 in my music classes' exam. 
God cares, tho', if I got that score from cheating.

Does God care if I'm rich?
Well, he does care.
But, does being rich, really worth it?
Isn't being rich means it is harder to get into heaven?
Aren't rich people focus their mind more towards earthly thing?

Shouldn't our goals...be the things above?

What is being success anyway?
Shall it be a starting point to do good stuffs to others?
I do not need lots lots lots of money to start doing good stuffs to people.
I do not need straight A to start doing good stuffs to people!
I am able to wake up early in the morning, just to serve others through preparing breakfast for them.
Isn't that worth more than getting straight A?
Isn't that worth more than being successful?

In our world of competitiveness, we just often forget.
We just forget that things that really matter...are the things above.

God loves me unconditionally.
He loves me, no matter what grades I make this semester.
He loves me, even if I play miserably in my honors recital tomorrow.
He loves me, even if I am sarcastic to people.

Memphis: day four

To the zoo, we went.































Memphis: day three

It's been a month, so...

here it is.

Memphis: day three

Downtown: Beale Street, Peabody Place, FedEx Forum, etc.