The teachers chose an unusual destination for our school trip - The Cemetery! When we arrived the place was packed. It was full of people. There were people running about with ladders and water, others carrying flowers, and many others gathered together around a gravestone. Here in Peru the 2nd November is known as the Day of the Dead.
It was sad to see. Juan Carlos (one of our teachers) told us how he was pleased that God had saved him from all this. He explained to us that any gathered around the graves to pray for the souls of their dead family members and that they believe that on this day the souls of their dead return to the earth. The graves were decorated with flowers to guide them back to the appropiate grave.
Real or not: A Priest paid to pray for one of the dead (although many dress up and pretend
to be Preists on this day to earn a bit of extra money!)
We left the cemetery and travelled to another one at the edge of the city. It was a lot poorer and is used by some very poor people from the sierra. Here people laid food across the grave, listened to a brass band playing and ate and drank.
They believe that on this day at midday the souls of the dead return to the earth. The people bring food and drink to share with the souls of the loved ones. Many prepare a favourite dish of the one who has died to encourage the soul to come back to its grave to talk with them. Some families contract music bands to play the music that their loved one liked the most. It was a very sad and dark insight into part of the culture in this area of Peru. It was a very real reminder of the depravity of the human heart and of the need for God in the lives of so many people. So many are so lost and just need the truth.
I'm an observer from the wings... but what saddens me is that in your preparation for this mission experience it would seem that you were not adequately enculturated into Catholicism. I wonder if you are in danger of falling into the age old trap of demonising that which is different? - its what we have done in Northern Ireland and its a way of thinking that resulted in the 40 years of violence known as the 'Troubles'. Was there nothing positive to affirm in the 'remembering' you witnessed? I'd be interested to know why you equated what you saw with 'darkness' and what 'truth' is it you would want to bring to this act of commemoration?
ReplyDeleteDear Lynda. I want to apologise if you were offended by our post. We just wanted to give people back home a little bit of an insight into part of the culture here in Arequipa, so that they can be encouraged to pray for the people here.
ReplyDeleteYes, we think it is important to remember our loved ones but the experience on this day broke our hearts. We do not believe that things which are different from our culture are terrible, not at all (otherwise we wouldn´t be here enjoying everything about Peru.) But is not a positive thing that people worship and pray to the souls of their dead family members. It is a relationship with God that people need. Only through a personal relationship with God can people be sure that their sins have been forgiven and that they will enter Heaven. And that is why Jesus died on the Cross. He was punished in our place for our sin, so that if we believe in Him, believe that He died for us, and ask Him to forgive us...He will. And there is nothing more precious in all the world than to know Him. This is what we want for the people here. They need God. I´m sorry if you were offended by what we wrote, but we want the people to trust in God because only He can forgive sin.
If you want to get in contact or have more questions and comments feel free to email us at Peruteam09@gmail.com.
I commend you on the reply you wrote to your reader's questions and comments.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this thoughtful post guys. Great that you're getting such a good insight into Peruvian culture - especially from people like Juan Carlos who have been brought up in the Roman Catholic traditions of Peru (so very different from those in Ireland and Western Europe), and who can speak with authority and wisdom about their own country, culture, and the differences between what you describe here and evangelical faith.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work on your blog - it's really appreciated.
You are in our daily prayers.
Love from the 3 of us.
Sorry for the delay in replying I lost track of the blog... I wasn't offended by your post or prayer letter which sparked the comment in the first place, I just felt sad that the words you used seemed to be loaded with a negative value - in that you seemed to be equating Roman Catholicism with darkness and depravity. Having worked for peace in Northern Ireland, I just felt your comment reflected the age old prejudices that have broken this country apart and I weep when I see an evangelicalism that is without the mercy and grace it so dearly values...Jesus' death on the cross is greatly misunderstood, I think he came to do much more than we often appreciate... in that he came to establish the Kingdom of God not just save us for heaven - your reply seems to point to heaven being the end goal? What about the Revelation of John promising a new heaven and a new earth? Where does it fit into your understanding of the gospel?
ReplyDeleteI don't think that we will ever see things from the same perspective, but I am interested in what you learn about evangelicalism as you process this experience.
Dear Lynda. Thank you for your comment again. Sorry it wasn’t posted immediately as we were in the Sierra without internet access for the past few days.
ReplyDeleteYou are right. There is a negative value in the words darkness and depravity, and they are not nice words…but they are the exact words the Bible uses to describe all of us. If you’ve a Bible it’d be great if you could read Ephesians 2:1-10. There we’re described as “dead in sin,” “followers of the ways of this world,” “gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature” and “objects of wrath.” It’s a horrible list. But that is how God views us if we are not following him. Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” There is no one who is perfect. We have all messed up and done wrong and disobeyed God. And “all” means all - people from all countries, people from all religions, and people from all cultures. We’re all the same. We’re all in the same boat. None of us deserve God´s love. That’s the bad news. Thank goodness there’s good news too!
And you’re absolutely right…there is mercy and grace and the cross. Immediately after that horrible description in Ephesians it says “But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ.” God sent His Son who brings peace. He died on the cross to bring that peace, so that people could be made right with God. And so many people don’t understand what he did on the cross as you say. They rely on their traditions, their customs, the prayers of their relatives, but it’s only by believing in Jesus that they be forgiven. V8 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, - and this not from yourselves it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast.” That’s amazing love, amazing grace and amazing mercy!
By believing in Jesus and that he took the punishment in our place we can know that our sins are forgiven, we can have a relationship with God, we can call ourselves children of God, we can be sure that we are part of God’s family and we can worship him and enjoy him forever and ever (and that is our end goal-to love Him, enjoy Him and serve Him,) which we will be able to do fully in Heaven without distraction and without sin because it is a perfect place just as the new Heaven and Earth will be once Jesus returns again.
Lynda please don’t think that we are condemning people here. We love the people here. We are here to share the message of the Bible with them– nothing else. We just want them to know God and enjoy Him.