I sure am back

This is my first Sunday back in Bangkok and I had 10am mass at the cathedral.  I was joined by an annual visitor to the cathedral. 

He is Fr Peter, a Thai Redemptorist, assigned to Korea.  He returns home every year and comes to mass at the cathedral to thank a Thai woman in the congregation for the help she gives him.  It seems that he is her personal project. 

Well each year, I ask him to speak at the end of mass and each year he uses that time to thank her personally in front of the whole congregation.  We all know who she is as he publicly names her.  This year, he also named that she gave him 2.1 million baht which is something like $70,000.  This is nothing to be sneezed to be at. 

The whole happening is so expressive of Thai culture.  I would thank someone publicly but never in the way it is done here, personally naming and glorifying the person in front of everyone and naming the amount.  I would find that embarrassing and crass.  To do this back home would be bad taste in the extreme but here the woman just loves the attention.

A cultural factor at play is that a wealthy, Thai Catholic may happily give a Thai priest 2.1 million baht but would never think of giving even one baht to help poor Burmese or other poor foreigners in their midst. Thai Catholics have this overriding sense of seeing the Thai Church as being for Thai Catholics and as only helping poor Thais.  There is a lack of a missionary sense in this Church.        

Another cultural factor is that Thai Catholics remain so Buddhist in their practice.  By giving to the priest, they are making merit.  In doing so, they favour Thai priests.  In the Buddhist tradition, they will favour giving to the poor by giving to the priest who can then give to the poor.  I hear it said that the way to Nirvana is via the saffron robes of the monk. In the Church, that is applied to the priest.    

Don't get me wrong.  Fr Peter is a lovely guy.  I enjoy his annual visit.  In many ways, he is so full of life.  He is just being gracious as a Thai in a Thai way.  Meanwhile, I sit there and cringe as I hear him speak.  What is at play is culture and I appreciate that. 

Today's experience told me that I am truly back in Thailand.  Good to be home with its many challenges and questions for me.