Cultural Assesment

The concept of culture has always been difficult to define and understand. This is due to the variety of definitions given by people. In my own words, I will say that culture is the way people live their life; including language, arts, science, thoughts, religion, social activity and interaction. In this essay I plan to explore culture, in a religious reference, concentrating on the catholic celebration, "Mass".

Sunday, March 17, 2013. I decided to attend mass, as a way of research, in order to complete my required cultural awareness paper for Professional Development class. The Mass is a church service provided every day, however, mandatory to the catholic community on Sundays. The service that started at 8:30 in the morning was completely full. For my surprise, the attire was semiformal. It was like they were ready to celebrate a party or festivity. Once inside the church, I notice people making the sigh of a cross on their self as soon the walk in the church. Later, I discovered that they do this as a way of protection and reverence do their God.

The Mass Starts when the Entrance Rites begins. This is an orchestrated parade that includes priest, deacon and altar server. The priests then precede to greed us from the altar and recite a variety of prays at loud to which we responded in harmony. Subsequent, the Liturgy of the Words, that consist of three readings are given. The congregation reads two of them and the deacon or priests read the last one, which is follow immediately by the priest sermon. The priest words were engaging and motivating. It was really emotional to see people faces change in respond to the priest words. His sermon was undeniably touching their lives, molding their thoughts and acts. After the priest has culminated with his sermon the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins. People line up to receive a piece of bread that for there believes had been bless by the priest. After expressing my interest in participating of this activity they call the gift of bread I was inform of some requisite I needed to complete in order to do so. In order to participated I needed to become baptism (converted) to Catholicism and confessed all my sins to the priest. So he can absorb me of all my wrong dues in life. That simple I thought to my self. Following this activity, people continue to pray in silence, kneeling before the deacon waiting for his approval for dismissal. In his absent, the priest himself dismisses the people by reciting