First Mass In Jogja

Mass was held in the chapel of a Catholic hospital. There was no air-condition, no stained glasses and no hi-tech equipments for the choir. There was none of the comforts that we are so familiar with back home. The priest was not accompanied by any altar boys and the order of the mass that Sunday was printed on recycled paper. All we had was an organ, fans and the wooden windows with shutters which were used in schools in SG in the 70s. Much like those you see in the show where Chen Liping shot to fame being 'Ah Yo Yo'. As mass went on, hubs and Dallen began to perspire and Dallen got cranky. Being in an environment that small and enclosed, every sound he made was immediately amplified. Moreover, he was the only baby there. No prizes for guessing who's the culprit for the noises.

But attending mass in such an environment made worship feels more authentic than back home and you begin to be very thankful for what you have. At the same time, it made Singapore churches feel so superficial and fake. Every church seems to be trying to outdo one another with better technology, nicer architecture and more complicated crosses. Here, the cross is a simple, wooden one. And without all the glamour and added sophistication, you're able to focus more on the blood that was made to seem like it's dripping from the wounds. Back in Holy Cross, we have a nicely designed cross by the parish priest. But I dun remember seeing any blood. The chapel is a far cry from the familiar comforts we've come to take for granted. During Lent and Easter season when the crowd seems to be bigger, we complained about the air-con not being strong enough. We're particular about which pew and where we sit in church. Here, you're lucky to even get a seat cos English masses are not common and there are very limited pews in the chapel. It's humility personified and I can't help but think this is, maybe, the way things were in Jesus' time (with better technology, of cos), when the true essence is in the worship and not infrastructure.

I roughly checked out the state of the hospital just in case I get pregnant. Well, can't say I'm comfortable about the state of the hospital. For lack of a better choice, it's similar to the old SAC building in Middle Road. And here I am being so used to and pampered by Mt. Alvernia; and it's not even one of the newer hospital in SG. Perhaps, as time goes by, I'll feel comfortable enough to consider giving birth here.