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I feel God in Masjid Istiqlal

I am in Masjid Istiqlal in Jakarta, Indonesia.  I do not know why it is that I found myself here. It certainly was not my plan to visit this place, which until now I knew nothing of.  Initially, I thought that my presence would not be tolerated here.  After all, I am a Catholic and a woman.  Yet, I have been allowed through the gates of Masjid Istiqlal and in the sacred premises of this mosque.

As I explore this mosque, I am accompanied by a person of this faith.  This person is genuine, gracious and welcoming.  He is interested in my thoughts, and at the same time, he takes pride in showing me this place.

As I climb the steps of this mosque, I am moved to tears and surprised that I feel God’s presence so intensely.  Why do I feel God now when I am not looking for Him?  Why does He make  His presence felt in this place?  I am shocked.  I am perplex.  I am awed.  I am grateful.

Perhaps I thought that I would not find God in this place. After all, I did not come here to look for Him or to pray. I do sense Him everywhere.  I feel God in the corridors of this mosque.  I recognize Him in the people of this faith who I watch as they cleanse themselves before prayer and as they sit in quiet corners of this mosque to pray.

As I walk bare-footed in the corridors of Masjid Istiqlal, I find solace and peace.

A note about this post:  I wrote this article right after I visited the mosque called Masjid Istiqlal. I felt that it should be written in the present tense to convey how affected I was by the experience.

An unorthodox retreat

I asked my friend, Fr. Bill, to prepare for me some spiritual exercises I could do while I was in Indonesia. I felt the need to connect with God.  Although I was only able to accomplish one out of seven spiritual exercises, I had somehow achieved my goal of connecting with God in the strangest and most unorthodox of retreats.  I gained a connection with God through the eyes and practices of persons who, unlike me, are not Catholics. For, while I had not gone to Indonesia to learn about religious beliefs other than my own, I received an unexpected crash course in Islam, Buddhism and Balinism and learned more about Hinduism while I was there. My crash course did not, by any means, provide me with a comprehensive understanding of other religious beliefs.  If at all, it would probably take me several lifetimes to understand those beliefs.  I did, however, come away with the simple realization that a connection to God may be made through Islam, Buddhism, Balinism and Hinduism.  And to me, this is really what matters.