Brothers & Sisters

“How did you find the experience of breaking fast, at the Inter-Religious event the other night?” Daniel asked me as we were hanging around, waiting for more pages to proofread before sending them off to print.

(The report of this event lay in the pile of pages we had been reading.)

“It was good!” I replied.

In fact, I had attended the very first such gathering when Mr Ameerali Abdeali, President of the Muslim Kidney Action Association, also Honorary Secretary of the Inter-Religious Organisation in Singapore, had invited friends of various faiths to partake in breaking fast (Iftar), back during Ramadan in 2006.

That first experience had blown me away - to witness laypeople and religious of different faiths dialoguing and sharing experiences as friends.

Daniel asked me what I liked about such interreligious affairs.

“When you strip people of the identity-garments they don, all you’re really left with, is who they are – human beings – the same as everyone else.

It is easy to mentally classify/categorise people you meet. Not in a judgemental way, but definitely in a way that you think will help you have a semblance of an idea of who they are, or how to relate better to them.

And most definitely, when you see a religious person in a habit, hijab, etc, straightaway you think of them as Catholic, Muslim… but when you take away all of these ‘uniforms’ – as such interreligious affairs are meant to encourage – you see that your neighbour is really no different from you. We are all merely children of God.”

Of course, interreligious dialogue and events alone cannot change the world. It cannot make people want to become brothers and sisters. It does not blur the lines that differ one religion from another.

Still, it is one step forward. 

In the right direction.

Filed under: Game of Life, GOD

The One About Hungry Ghost Festival

Inadvertently, this Hungry Ghost Festival, I ended up talking to supposed spirits, after all.

The irony is that, I don’t even remember that I used to do that, when I participated in the customary ‘rites’ for this festival with my family and this year, it is while working on a story for CN that I actually ’talked’ to … erm, the spirits? 

Being raised in a Taoist/Buddhist family, and then joining the Catholic Church when I was in my mid-20s, I have always had a sense of wondering about how I, as a Catholic, should respond to certain customs that my family practises, especially when a part of me still feels certain nostalgia at not being able to participate in these practices with my family anymore (details in this week’s CN).

So it was that this year, my curiosity centred on the Hungry Ghost Festival.

In the midst of preparing the story, I revisited some past encounters I’ve had with… erm, spirits. And boy, are they many! (I am actually still contemplating if I should share those experiences on this blog…)

A part of me was afraid that working on this article would attract unnecessary attention from spirits, demons, devils, whatever you wish to call them of the spiritual world…

Talking to a few priests on this matter helped lots.

In any case, I had to take some photos of some of the customary practices surrounding the Hungry Ghost Festival – paper offerings being burnt, candles being lit, food being left outside as offering to wandering spirits, getais (staged performances), etc…

Finally, one day, I found a good spot at Sin Ming Drive. It was a secluded spot and the offerings were left out by the grass patch – still fresh, with candles still lit.

I pulled out my camera and gingerly advanced towards it.

Now, because of my past encounters with spirits, I was still much hesitant to capture these shots.

I took one step towards the offerings.

And I said inwardly, “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. I mean no disrespect, I just need to take the picture…”

Then, I stopped.

What am I doing? Who am I talking to?

The questions asked; the circular logic began: Wait a minute. I don’t believe there’re wandering spirits around waiting to eat this food… But better safe than sorry! … I’m a Catholic, not a Taoist… Just apologise and if they’re there, they’ll excuse you; if they’re not there, it doesn’t matter anyway…

In the end, I made a short prayer: God, you know I’m not being disrespectful. I just need to take a photograph. Spirit or no spirit around, I entrust this situation to you. (And please don’t let them disturb me!)

*snap snap snap*

The entire experience made it so clear to me that, while I feel this immense sense of liberation, it is so easy to fall back into the bondage of being slave to beliefs that contradict our Catholic faith.

Still, it was through this very experience, that I fully comprehended just how free I am now. While in the past, I would’ve been truly fearful that I may be offending some spirits (even though I don’t even think I ever believed in the Hungry Ghost Festival), this time round, I know the only reason why I was ‘apologising’ to them is because of a remnant of such beliefs so deeply instilled in me.

That is the only reason; nothing else.

What is missing – I notice with a blinding clarity – is fear.

I am free.

Filed under: 1, Game of Life, GOD