There’s still a spark of faith in Mexico

Gina Yoryet Roman
March 25, 2012
There’s still a spark of faith in Mexico


Last night coming out of church I was somewhat disappointed but not surprised to only see another 4 people at mass besides my mother and I. What’s more distressful is to see all the youngsters crowded up in every single bar, drinking till they drop up to very early hours of dawn in desperate need of disconnecting from reality.

I’d never seen such an empty and isolated temple. What’s keeping people from going to this particular church? Could it have to do with where the church is located? Between two cantinas, in front of another one, a block from a sex shop. Maybe because it was Saturday night?

The priests at the church were transferred to that particular temple a few weeks ago and they are trying to make the best of it with their persistence and devotion which is something to admire and respect them for. They brought the old traditional style mass in Latin to Guadalajara and México City to conserve the authenticity of Catholicism but some don’t seem to be too comfortable with that because not only do we not speak Latin and we can’t follow through, but we tend to be very impatient and give up immediately.

Sometimes I want to stick to Spanish mass but then I remind myself that I have to be more lenient, explore and get into my religion into more depth and hold on to something - that powerful force above us because that is the only way I’ll find my purpose and I try but I eventually give up and go back to basics.

Could it be because Mexicans have lost our faith due to all the never ending turmoil that broke out about five years ago? Could it be all the distracting factors that are keeping us away from finding inner peace?

Whatever the reason may be, there has to be a way for us to regain our faith because after all, “somos Guadalupanos” and even the most despiteful and feared villain can be a devout catholic like the character in “La Morenita,” which created a whole lot of controversy because the previews portray the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe surrounded by bullets, weapons and illegal substances.

The message of that movie is that although some may live a troubled life, deep down we all look for inner peace and all our fears are assuaged by praying, and having faith.

That somewhat lost faith re-appeared this weekend when Pope Benedict the XVI came to León Guanajuato to offer a mass at Parque Bicentenario in Silao for the internal war in Mexico to cease. I would’ve loved to go since I was given complimentary tickets but I couldn’t because of work related issues but his powerful presence was felt in every corner of Mexico and the peace in the air was mirrored in the faces of the 640 thousand attendees.

The thousands of pleased frowns on tv and the 640 thousand devoted souls sticking around the whole day and night to see the Pope and pray for a better Mexico was an injection of hope to see the country that we’ve been destroying little by little change for better, to know that we’ll be able to find the peaceful place we’ve all been longing for, the town of us, fellow country men in where the many generations to come will find victory surrounded by harmony.
“¡Otro mundo si es possible!” – Another world is possible!