Thursday, 1 March 2012

Prayer Beads

It’s a beautiful day.  The seas are calm, and the M.S. Veendam is slicing through the Southern Sea like a large, metallic swordfish on steroids.  I am sitting in the ship’s library typing on my laptop while at the table beside me a table full of women chatter away in a language I can’t understand.  The table is covered with craft supplies because they are making prayer beads.  Apparently, they are progressive Muslims from eastern Canada.  (That’s what I overheard.)  Right now they are having a conversation with an elderly Catholic woman from Australia about how their muslim prayer beads compare to the rosary.  She is asking them a lot of questions, and I almost wonder if the conversation is getting a little heated.  Perhaps not.  They are just trying to understand each other, I guess.  Wow!  The Catholic lady just asked them if they pray to Mary.  What a question!  But at least she has the guts to ask.  I wouldn’t.  I’d be more likely to listen silently to every word and type their conversation like a spy - kind of like I’m doing at this very moment :-)  Now one of the younger Muslim women is telling the Catholic lady that all prayer beads serve the same purpose.  I guess in a way, I agree.  We are all trying to talk to the Creator.

I guess the real question is, is He trying to talk to us.  If so, I have a feeling he wouldn’t bother with beads.  I think he’d just come himself. 

No comments:

Post a Comment