Going to church...

Going to church here in California is so much more different than when you go in the Philippines. Aside from the obvious language differences, the prayers are also not the same. In the Philippines, we sing more and we criticize less.
I go to church for the sanctuary. A place where my soul can rest for a while. Today, I found myself thinking harder than any other time since I came here. The ceremony was okay and, in my mind, I was still going to church like the way I do in the Philippines. A couple of things I didn't like, though, was the sermon of the priest.
The priest talked about God as being a "miracle machine". He also talked about what he asked God when he was in the seminary. He said he wanted to be a "good priest and a happy priest". By the way, his gospel was about the weeds that were sown in with the wheat. Now, onto my gripes...
First of all, God is not a miracle machine. If I've learned anything from "The Simpsons", it's that God is not a genie that you could just ask and ask from. He's more than that. I grimaced when the priest said that about God. I think it was degrading and disrespectful. God is beyond that. I believe that God gives us things in due time but it is all due to us. What he gives us and what he does not is all ours. The other thing that I want to say is that being a priest is a job. As with all jobs, you only have to work hard in your job to become good at it. In my opinion, I think it should be more like becoming a "good person". I think that was more in line with the gospel. I think that priests should be preaching more about the way that people should be going. I think that it is the responsibility of every church, Catholic or otherwise, to lead the people who worship. Faith is not based on hatred, faith is based on enlightenment and understanding. It is based on dispelling fear by getting rid of ignorance. Belief in a higher power who dwells within ourselves and links us to all things beyond us is not ignorance, it is faith and it makes us strong.
To be fair, the priest did say some things that I agreed with. He said that we should pray all the time. No matter for what reason, we should pray. We should pray so that we serve a higher purpose and that we pray so that we can live happily.
Happiness goes hand in hand with life. No man, woman, nor child should have to live deprived of it.