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| From a Catholic Soldier Serving in Kuwait | |
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Michael, As promised, the time has come for me to share my thoughts with you and with anyone you want to share my thoughts. Let me begin by stating that there are numerous Catholics in Kuwait since the vast majority of its population is derived from Third Country Nationals. These individuals predominantly come from the Philippines and the Gom Region of India. The Cathedral downtown is way too small for the size of its congregation. While I have only ventured to Mass downtown with my family on a few occasions, each time is was a beautiful and humbling experience. Most of the people make very little to live on and have left their home countries searching for a better life economically. Yet, they know who is responsible for their ultimate care and feeding. I must give the Kuwait government credit for allowing such a free expression of religion. Every time, the cathedral was stuffed to the gills with most people standing in the aisles. Ironically, the Eucharist is served after the Mass is over to make way for the incoming crowd for the next Mass. Mass is in English, Arabic, Hindi and Tegalag. Mass is celebrated for the most part on Fridays as the weekend is Thursday and Friday. However, there is no excuse for missing Mass as they have services at various times Thursday thru Sunday. Therefore, I have more than a dozen to choose from should I not be able to attend elsewhere. Luckily, both Camp Doha and the Embassy also have arranged for Masses to be held. We are very blessed to have so many military chaplains that fully understand the needs of the military. Since the war has started and Saddam has fired missiles into Kuwait, we are carrying our gasmask to church with us. This is a bit unusual, but nothing will stop the will of God and the word of God from being celebrated. As a Middle East Area Specialist, I have spent a good portion of my time the last eight years in this part of the world. I have attended Masses in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. In Egypt, I traveled weekly for a two-hour round trip drive to attend a 45 minute Mass. My driver was so impressed with my dedication because his view of America was that all Americans are drunks, sleep around on their spouses, and pay no real attention to their spiritual health. I had the same driver for three years so I was able to overturn the negative view of America that Hollywood provided him in the movies. In the UAE, I attended an Easter celebration outdoors in the church parking lot which was co-owned with a mosque next door. My priest on this particular Friday (Yes - I know Easter is on a Sunday, but not in the Middle East) was an Indian with a very heavy accent. In the middle of the liturgy, the call to prayer sounded as numerous Muslims headed to the mosque next door to worship the same God. This was a heartwarming experience for me in that it clearly demonstrated that we can all live in peace if we just accept each other with love and tolerance. I am proud to say that despite my numerous trips in and out of the Middle East, I have not missed Mass ever. I do not allow for excuses and plan my trips accordingly. However, once during a flight delay in Frankfurt, Germany, I was beside myself as it was Sunday and I was out of options. Luckily, I had some eight hours to kill. Praying for some divine guidance, I happened to notice a chapel symbol in the airport. I wandered over to the chapel to find out when Mass was being held. Much to my joy, I attended Mass with numerous weary travelers of French, German, Italian etc., descent. The Mass was in German; however, the miracle of the Eucharist is clearly understandable in any language. This is the beauty of being Catholic. We can literally go anywhere in the world and not be excluded. Last spring, my family took a trip on a whim to Venice, Italy. We deliberately selected a hotel near a church so we would not miss Mass on Sunday. Sadly, while we were able to attend Mass, my family and I were by far the youngest people in the church. I am 40 years old. I think the next closest age was a couple that appeared to be in their mid-60's. I explained to my children that this is the problem with young Catholics today who feel as though they can be Catholic by just going through the motions. I believe I made it clear to them that God is important every day, but especially on His day no matter where you are in the world. I have been blessed to attend Masses in Greece, Hungary, Spain, Mexico, Canada, and England. I know we are all traveling through this life as human beings trying to make a difference. However, I am proud to be a Catholic traveling the world over, hopefully doing God's work and laying the seeds of peace, understanding, love, and hope. Who knows, I may be going to attend Mass in Iraq shortly after we free its people from an evil aggressor with little regard for the world. Please feel free to share this with whomever you wish. I hope I did not bore you. It is from the heart. Peace and God bless America. Jim (Last name and military identification deleted)
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