I went to a Catholic Mass.

You may or may not be aware that a little over a week ago, the managers of my favorite Mexican restaurant, La Hacienda, an 80 year old Hispanic couple, were assaulted in their apartment. At approximately 10 p.m. two Sundays ago, the husband, Mr. Ceja, answered a knock at the door. A Hispanic male then entered the apartment and brutally beat Mr. and Mrs. Ceja. Mr. Ceja was killed, while his wife was left in critical condition.

The Nashville Hispanic community was sent into an uproar by this heinous crime. Apparently, the killer, who has still not been caught, knew that the couple managed the restaurant, which is the center of the Hispanic community, and wanted money. After beating the couple, he did not find anything worth taking. The couple's granddaughter is in my "Hispanics in the U.S." class and is a friend, so I went to the Catholic Mass held in honor of Mr. Ceja.

Now, if you know me and how much of a Presbyterian I am, you know that I was, you could say, more than skeptical about going to a Mass. It's not that I didn't want to go, it's just that I thought I would pick apart every aspect and condemn the whole service as heresy. That is far from what I found.

I was amazed to find that the entire service was focused on the death and resurrection of Christ and our sharing in both of those when we are united to Christ. Passages read to begin the service included Psalm 23 (which is all the more beautiful in Spanish) with the congregation responding after every stanza with "Nada me faltara" (I will never be left needing) and an excerpt from Romans 3 talking about our sin and need and Christ's sacrifice. The priest then left this pulpit and approached the edge of the stage giving a detailed explaination of what it means to die with Christ and then be ressurected with him. The overwhelming feeling was, this is about Christ. I couldn't believe that I was being won over by the Catholic church. But the priest preached Christ like I have heard many a Protestant church shy away from. And so, I must be open to the true gospel, no matter what denomination it is conveyed through.

While I was incredibly encouraged by the message of faith in Christ which leads to union with him, there were two complaints that I had. 1) The priest made a reference to praying to Mary and the Saints, and 2) At communion, the priest held up the bread and said, "This is the bread that takes away sin."

So, while the priests "sermon" was solid in what he actually said, there was evidence that the doctrine behind his beliefs did not support salvation by faith alone. While I did find some fault with the signs of some faulty doctrine, I was incredibly impressed with the Mass which never mentioned Mr. Ceja's name without making the connection that, as a follower of Christ, he was now risen with Christ. I found the service to be in a word, appropriate. What better consolation to a mourning people than the assurance of the faithfulness of God to resurrection in death and the free offer of the gospel to the world.

I hope that we (as Protestants) will not condemn the Catholic church simply because we have heard that it doesn't preach grace. I hope that we will engage the church and see for ourselves if the gospel is the center of the conversation.