I visited London for the first time three years ago. Exhausted from visited the major tourist attractions in Westminster I took a street which lead me to a church . At first I thought it would be a small obscure church as it was surrounded by buildings on both sides. I had entered from a side entrance and to my surprise it was huge. The interior was being renovated . The central portion had a high ceiling and balconies overlooking from the sides. Beyond the central portion under the balconies are spacious chapels were one can sit and be absorbed in prayer. On the left hand side of the alter is or Lady’s chapel which is an enclosure of a picture of our lady in mosaic work which is breathtaking. On the right hand side is the chapel of Our Blessed Sacrament where the sacrament is kept and people can pray. Again the walls have mosaic art which is inspiring.
As I sat there in the chapel I felt sense of relief and calmness that drew me to the spirituality of the place. It was a roman catholic cathedral and a service was about to start. I sat there feeling I might have to leave but something made me stay and observe.
The service is called a mass and during this there are readings from the bible. The bible has books similar to the Quran for many of its prophets are the same. Both religions have similar principles to apply to life. In Islam Jesus is considered a respected prophet. However Catholics have a strong belief in Jesus as the son of God and a concept of Trinity , three in One God. This being the Father , Son and Holy Spirit but being One God at the same time. Other Christian groups do not believe in the Virgin birth of Jesus or hold the Vatican as the head of the church. The Catholic faith has a lot of mystery an demands a lot of faith from its followers. I left the church from the front entrance which was a huge door opening to a big courtyard with a strange sense of connection and a longing to return there soon.
References:
Rogers,P.Oremus . Retrieved from the world wide web on the 1st of may 2007 from
http://www.westminstercathedral.org.uk/art/art_mosaics_1.html
