GOD´S HOME IS MY HOME TOO

I am more than sure that each of us has a place in his or her life that is more meaningful than others. Usually, it is a particular place located in a particular country. However, it is different in my case. I want to tell you about a place, which is my home, and I have it wherever I go worldwide. Do you have an idea what I am going to tell you about? This place is a Christian church.

I may not say that I travel a lot. However, I have been living in five places already.

My Christian Home in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Each time when I move to a new place, I look for a church so that I can feel like at home again.

My Christian Home in Oxford, MS, U.S.A.

I like to stay in the church even if there are no people there. I feel calm and protected, and as being a part of the universe. For me, church is not only a building but a community that shares the same believes and principles as I do. People can belong to different groups of Christians, such as Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants. They can also represent different nations, races or cultures. However, this is a strong belief in God that is uniting all the cross cultural differences. At the same time, I do need to admit that I have some funny experiences, which I would like to share with you. It is connected with taking a communion in the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S.A.
So, first time, while being a Harvard summer student in Cambridge, MA in 2005, I wanted to take a communion together with my friend who was going to become a priest in Ukraine. for both of us it was a great surprise that we should drink wine by holding the cup with our hands. In Ukraine only a priest is allowed to hold a cup, and he uses the spoon to share wine with others. I could hardly believe that I was going to have such an experience as for me the cup with wine is a holy object. When I tell this story in Ukraine people do not usually believe me.

This is a cross made with different kinds of things, which usually you will not see on the cross, however, it is still a cross, which is a symbol of Christians wordwide (This picture was made in Mississippi Delta River)

I had my second communion experience here in Oxford, MS. When I came to the priest to take the holy bread, I crossed my hands on my breast as we used to do in Ukraine. However, the priest just blessed me and did not share a bread with me. I could not believe that something like that could have happenned to me. I was totally confused after the service. Later on, when I discussed that with my friend from Los Angeles, she explained to me that I was supposed to put one hand over the other so that the priest could put the holy bread and share it with me. The priest simply understood that I did not want to take the communion.

This is cross decorated in a special way, however it is still cross and has the same meaning for all the Christians worldwide. (This picture was made in Mississippi Delta River).

When you start thinking about the customs and traditions that exist in different cultures, you should always remember that they were established and followed by people.

This church was made by someone from Mississippi Delta River. People from different places built churches in different ways, but the reason therefore is still the same - to have a place where you can worship God in the community.

However, there is always something more than the established rule of conduct that unites the whole universe. This is our ability to think and feel, to believe and trust, to rely on and worship God, who has created everything and everyone. It is the spirit, which God has shared with us that is always the same, no matter who you are and where you came from, as you can see below.