What Are Teofilo's Beliefs

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Mariya Korostil American Literature Honors Mr. Ricci January 28, 2012 Native American | Catholic Church | Leon and Ken are Teofilo’s grandsons. They manage to integrate American Indian ways and Christian ways; they are a Indian Christians who still respect their roots and cultural heritage. Leon smiles as he paints his dead grandfather’s face according to the Native American custom and believe that the old man’s spirit will bring rain. He is a man of few words and has a calm, strong sense of dignity. The fact that he is able to persuade the priest to sprinkle holy water at the grave site with a few well-chosen words—without argument—reveal his character. In the Pueblo culture, one paints the face and ties a prayer feather to the deceased’s…show more content…
They also scatter corn and sprinkle water to provide food and water for the spirit on its journey to the other world.After Teofilo’s death, Louise sprinkled corn meal on his grave. This is a common way of blessing in the Pueblo Indian prayer. They used both words and substances. | Father Paul is a young Catholic priest struggling to lead a parish on an Indian reservation. He has affection and respect for his parishioners, as seen in his concern for old Teofilo. He also understands that the spirit of the law is more important than the letter of the law. Although he is troubled by the persistence of Indian customs in his parish, he learns to adapt to them. When Leon asks him to use holy water at Teofilo’s burial service, he at first refuses, but he later sprinkles the water on the grave. The lamb on Father Paul’s door is a symbol of Jesus, but it also represents the fact that Teofilo was a shepherd. The reference to the Catholic church's ‘‘twin bells from the King of Spain’’ is important as it points to the history of the Pueblo's initial encounter with Christianity. The holy water symbolizes cleansing, blessing in the Catholic Church, but in this story it’s used
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