Today is moonday. In the Ashtanga Yoga world, this means we take a day off from our early morning asana practice. There are many reasons for this; one of the most important being a respect and reverence for the influence that the moon has over our lives on Earth. It isn’t difficult to believe that a large astral entity that controls the tides would have some influence over our bodies, which are mostly made up of water. And just ask anyone that has ever worked in an emergency room or taught at a school whether or not the full moon affects our bodies and behavior!
So with the full moon brings a day off from practice today. We are getting ready to leave India this week and transition back into American life. What better way to celebrate than with some American-ish adventures!
First, Hope and Christina and I decided to go to Saint Philomena’s Catholic Church for 7:00 English mass this morning. Of course, Sai drove us in his rickshaw, which Hope affectionately refers to as “The Jesus Rickshaw,” due to the picture of Jesus and the phrase “Praise the Lord” printed on the front. Christina had read my January 23 blog entry, but had never seen the front of the rickshaw for herself. As Sai dropped us off (he stayed to attend mass himself), I pointed out to her the name, “Daniel” written across the front, right underneath Jesus. She chuckled in appreciative delight.
A few minutes later we entered the church. It is breathtaking both inside and out. It is designed in the Gothic-style of architecture, and looks more like something out of the 13th century than the year it was actually completed, 1941.
Inside, the ceilings are over 50 feet high and exquisitely molded columns are prominently featured. Statues of Jesus, Mary, St. Philomena, and other saints line the walls and float on the cross above the altar.
It is unlike any church I have ever visited in America, in that the statutes are treated with great devotion. Mary and St. Philomena are covered in beautiful saris (Indian wrap dresses) which are changed daily. We watched with great pleasure as a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus was changed from yesterday’s yellow sari to a blue one in our presence.
The mass itself was short - score! My years of forced treks to Sunday mass and weekly catechism classes during my childhood and adolescence certainly fostered an appreciation within me of the short-but-sweet mass.
The priest spoke with the aid of a microphone, which amplified off the high ceilings and created a sound that was reminiscent of “The Great and Powerful Oz.” At one point during mass an altar boy shot out from behind the curtain next to the altar and I almost snorted out loud with the thought, “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”
The first reading was from the book of Daniel, which made me smile. Devout Indian female parishioners sang all of the hymns without the accompaniment of music. They sang with heart and devotion. Mass concluded with a beautiful a capela version of Amazing Grace.
India is a country of devotional-style spirituality. Catholic mass in America, unfortunately, sometimes feels less than devotional; it can, at times, be dry and cold. Not at St. Philomena’s. The whole place vibrates with a divine energy that can be felt immediately when stepping onto the grounds. The parishioners and parish workers’ love of St. Philomena translates concretely into a tangible reverence that is felt everywhere in the Church.
After mass, we were treated like movie stars. Literally. We were approached by at least twenty young Indian men and women, probably ranging in age from 18-25, who wanted to take pictures with us. This has happened to me a couple times before in Mysore, though usually when I am with E, and never to this degree. It really felt like we were famous. I suppose they don’t see too many people that look like us. I like to think it could be a sign of things to come. I'll keep you posted.
So let me ask you this: what better way to bookend our moonday trip to Catholic mass than to visit McDonald’s for lunch? I can’t think of any.
For a while I’ve been wanting to try out the new McDonald's in Mysore - ahem, for research purposes, of course. It is much nicer than most McDonald’s I’ve seen in America. They serve no beef, due to the Indian belief that cows are sacred.
We had veggie burgers that were made with actual vegetables. For real - you can actually see the veggies when you bite into the patty. The french fries tasted much like the french fries back home, though perhaps a little less crispy. They also serve coke floats and Indian-style dishes. I am also happy to report that they have Oreo McFlurries and soft serve ice cream cones.
The place was clean and fancy - worthy of date night. E had a blast, and got two toys with his happy meal. The sign advertising Happy Meals amusingly reads, “Burger + drink + toy = lots of fun happiness for your child." His meal was a “Veg Pizza McPuff” - something I’m almost certain is not found at McDonald’s in our country. It tasted like a samosa - an Indian stuffed bread pastry - and was actually pretty good.
So moonday was chock full of home-inspired adventures with atypical Indian delights. There are many more adventures I would like to have before leaving this place, though time is running short.
Check out my new and improved website: www.theyogalawyer.com
So with the full moon brings a day off from practice today. We are getting ready to leave India this week and transition back into American life. What better way to celebrate than with some American-ish adventures!
First, Hope and Christina and I decided to go to Saint Philomena’s Catholic Church for 7:00 English mass this morning. Of course, Sai drove us in his rickshaw, which Hope affectionately refers to as “The Jesus Rickshaw,” due to the picture of Jesus and the phrase “Praise the Lord” printed on the front. Christina had read my January 23 blog entry, but had never seen the front of the rickshaw for herself. As Sai dropped us off (he stayed to attend mass himself), I pointed out to her the name, “Daniel” written across the front, right underneath Jesus. She chuckled in appreciative delight.
A few minutes later we entered the church. It is breathtaking both inside and out. It is designed in the Gothic-style of architecture, and looks more like something out of the 13th century than the year it was actually completed, 1941.
Inside, the ceilings are over 50 feet high and exquisitely molded columns are prominently featured. Statues of Jesus, Mary, St. Philomena, and other saints line the walls and float on the cross above the altar.
It is unlike any church I have ever visited in America, in that the statutes are treated with great devotion. Mary and St. Philomena are covered in beautiful saris (Indian wrap dresses) which are changed daily. We watched with great pleasure as a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus was changed from yesterday’s yellow sari to a blue one in our presence.
The mass itself was short - score! My years of forced treks to Sunday mass and weekly catechism classes during my childhood and adolescence certainly fostered an appreciation within me of the short-but-sweet mass.
The priest spoke with the aid of a microphone, which amplified off the high ceilings and created a sound that was reminiscent of “The Great and Powerful Oz.” At one point during mass an altar boy shot out from behind the curtain next to the altar and I almost snorted out loud with the thought, “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”
The first reading was from the book of Daniel, which made me smile. Devout Indian female parishioners sang all of the hymns without the accompaniment of music. They sang with heart and devotion. Mass concluded with a beautiful a capela version of Amazing Grace.
India is a country of devotional-style spirituality. Catholic mass in America, unfortunately, sometimes feels less than devotional; it can, at times, be dry and cold. Not at St. Philomena’s. The whole place vibrates with a divine energy that can be felt immediately when stepping onto the grounds. The parishioners and parish workers’ love of St. Philomena translates concretely into a tangible reverence that is felt everywhere in the Church.
After mass, we were treated like movie stars. Literally. We were approached by at least twenty young Indian men and women, probably ranging in age from 18-25, who wanted to take pictures with us. This has happened to me a couple times before in Mysore, though usually when I am with E, and never to this degree. It really felt like we were famous. I suppose they don’t see too many people that look like us. I like to think it could be a sign of things to come. I'll keep you posted.
So let me ask you this: what better way to bookend our moonday trip to Catholic mass than to visit McDonald’s for lunch? I can’t think of any.
For a while I’ve been wanting to try out the new McDonald's in Mysore - ahem, for research purposes, of course. It is much nicer than most McDonald’s I’ve seen in America. They serve no beef, due to the Indian belief that cows are sacred.
We had veggie burgers that were made with actual vegetables. For real - you can actually see the veggies when you bite into the patty. The french fries tasted much like the french fries back home, though perhaps a little less crispy. They also serve coke floats and Indian-style dishes. I am also happy to report that they have Oreo McFlurries and soft serve ice cream cones.
The place was clean and fancy - worthy of date night. E had a blast, and got two toys with his happy meal. The sign advertising Happy Meals amusingly reads, “Burger + drink + toy = lots of fun happiness for your child." His meal was a “Veg Pizza McPuff” - something I’m almost certain is not found at McDonald’s in our country. It tasted like a samosa - an Indian stuffed bread pastry - and was actually pretty good.
So moonday was chock full of home-inspired adventures with atypical Indian delights. There are many more adventures I would like to have before leaving this place, though time is running short.
Check out my new and improved website: www.theyogalawyer.com
No comments:
Post a Comment