Can someone tell me if this was wrong? I didn’t want to disrespect them, but I would never ever want to do something against God. I never meant to do something that might even verge on it.
Did the lady explain why you and your group were to wave your hands around the candle? Was their any knowledge of their ritual and worship they described? For instance, suppose you went to a Buddhist temple. There if they asked you to offer a prayer to Buddha. You would therefore know that the Buddha is not cherished as in the life of a saint (word of warning: When I say not cherished as the life of a saint. That doesn’t mean the people who wrongly ascribed to his teachings through their worship, do not cherish him. But they would be wrongly ascribing the cherishment of him through worshiping him. For just by learning some natural virtues and teaching in his life are enough to cherish him as anyone like Plato or Socrates were cherished, but never regarded as saints.))
Okay after that long segway and tangent. Let me say that unless you knew it was a form of worship. And there was for certain knowledge, also, you knew it was Hindu practice that you did this. Then you would need to go to Confession. But if you did not know that it was a particular act of worship or ritual, then you would therefore be ignorant of the matter. And by ignorant, I mean not knowing - innocence in mind, intellect, and will still preserved - thus unintended.
Remember, Saint Peter who said to Jesus he would not deny Him. He did from the compulsion people called him out and said he knew Christ. Saint Peter denied Jesus three times. What was the catastrophic failure from Saint Peter’s statement? Well, Jesus was tried for claiming to be a King, and the Son of God. When Saint Peter said he did not know Who Jesus was, denied Jesus was the Son of God, three times.
Now, Saint Peter did so out of compulsion, and fear of torture and death. He did not outright deny Jesus because he wanted to deny Christ and His Church. Rather, he denied Christ and the Church for fear of death and torture. Which is human
In your case, you acted as any and most humans would. Under the compulsion. You saw friends doing it. For fear of looking uncomfortable. Or standing out. Or for whatever reasons combed your mind penetrating your deep thought and character, mind, and will, you simply did so. And Saint Peter did so in denying Jesus three times. Later Jesus asked Saint Peter, “Do you love me?” And Saint Peter Thrice affirmed, he did. And likewise, you haven’t left your Catholic faith and identity yet. So you didn’t join in an act of some prayer service of a Hindu temple because you were denying the Church outright. But because you felt under compulsion of circumstance just as Saint Peter did. And still by remaining in the faith, do you affirm you love Jesus still. Don’t sweat it. But always remain alert, steadfast, and Holy, and faithful too.
due to lack of knowledge you ignorantly fell short. but its OK, there is no man on this earth this is sinless. Just ask God for forgiveness and move on.