Megan Judge

Judge 1

Mrs. Lucarelli
Comparative Civilizations
9 November 2015
Reflection of a Religious Ceremony
For the religious ceremony, I attended St. Gabriel's Roman Catholic Church. Physically,
the church has stained glass covered with images of Jesus, Mary, and other biblical figures. Also,
it is mostly white which makes it seem very pure. Additionally, hanging from the very center of
the room is Jesus on the cross. Under Jesus there is an altar, a tabernacle, and other religious
objects for the priest to use in the ceremony. Going to church affects me in a way which makes
me I feel more content with my life. This is because I have the chance to confess my sins to God
and be forgiven of them. I also feel a deeper happiness towards my life because church shows me
how much I really have. For example, the priest talks about how much Jesus gave up for the
human race; thus, I think about my life and all that I have and feel grateful for it. Additionally,
church allows me to feel more at peace with my own life since I can pray for my loved ones to
get better and to have a long, healthy life. To add on, church makes me feel like a more giving
person for different reasons, including giving me the chance to donate money to the poor. Also, I
get the chance to offer other people the sign of peace (shake their hands and wish them well),
which I enjoy. Finally, at mass the priest says a homily that connects the readings in the gospels
to our everyday lives. The homily assists me in leading a better life, and to more easily
differentiate right from wrong. Overall, I find the church to be a positive experience, which gives
me comfort.

Judge 2

Traditions performed during religious ceremony:

1. Walk in and say a prayer
2. Priest enters and we all rise
3. Opening prayer takes place
4. Then there are bible readings from the old testament, the new testament, and the gospel
5. Priest ties readings to our everyday lives
6. Pray the nicene creed
7. People give peace to each other by shaking hands
8. Priest blesses eucharist
9. We sing a prayer while people go up and eat the eucharist
10. Priest says a closing prayer and sends people off with a blessing