My Faith Journey

Baptism

My faith journey began in 2002 when I was baptized as a baby in the Catholic Church. Yes, I was a baby but in that moment I was cleansed from original sin. Baptism is a symbol of "rebirth" and when the water flows on you, then you have been reborn in Jesus's Church. In the Catholic Church, baptism typically takes place when you are an infant. However, that is not always the case. There are many men and women who are baptized as adults. They study Catholicism for 1 year and then on Easter, they are baptized into the Church. Baptism is a beautiful ceremony that is sacred in Christianity. Everyone's faith journey starts differently, and I am proud to have my faith journey begin with baptism.

Catholic School

The next phase of my faith journey begins with my schooling. I attended Catholic School from preschool through my senior year of high school. Before I begin, I want to address all the stereotypes that surround private Catholic Schools. I do not come from a rich family. Both of my parents worked very hard to send me to the schools I attended. Just because someone attends a private school, does not make him or her any more special than someone who attends a private school. It was important for my parents to send me to Catholic School is because of the religious teachings. Now, another stereotype is that the whole religious aspect is overbearing at catholic schools and no other subjects are taught. This is far from the truth. In addition to religious studies, I took other core subjects like math, science, english, history, etc. Yes, Catholicism was the core of the school's mission but the schools I attended also welcomed all people, despite their background. Many people think you must be Catholic to attend Catholic School, which simply isn't true. A good friend of mine is Buddhist and he attended Catholic High School with me. People may judge that, but at the end of the day he was loved and respected by his friends.

I am blessed to have attended Catholic School because I not only learned more about the faith, but I learned life lessons in the process. During my junior year of high school, I was blessed to have the most wonderful religion teacher. He taught us all about religion by watching movies. Yes, we watched movies. He would show the movies in class, and then once the movie was over, we had a class discussion about the hidden religious messages within the movie. For example, in the classic Disney movie "The Lion King", there are a lot of hidden baptism messages that I did not notice before. He taught us so much about life and religion outside of the classroom. I am blessed to have had him be a part of my academic journey.

Attending Catholic School is something that I will be forever grateful for. As an adult, I now realize how lucky and blessed I am to have received the education I did. I understand not everyone, supports Catholic Schools but at the end of the day, please respect those who do attend. Jesus loves us all, no matter what school or academic journey we take. Whether you are in private school, public school, or not in school, I am praying for you. We are all loved by God, no matter the school we attend.

College

In college, I found my footing in my faith. However, I faced many trials. I met people who tried to sway me away from being Catholic. At the time, I saw how deeply they were rooted in their non-denominational Christian faith, and I was drawn to feel the love from Jesus that they were feeling. However, I found that the more I spent with this group, the more I had to defend my Catholic faith and beliefs. It made me sad that I wasn't accepted simply because of my faith. I was told the way I believe in baptism, the Eucharist, attend Mass and go to Confession is "wrong". I even had someone ask me "Will you let me show you the truth?" The individual who said this to me used to be someone very important in my life. I even loved him for many years, but my faith was something he could never accept. All the people who tried telling me being Catholic was "wrong" ignited this fire in me that helped me to learn that being Catholic is something to be proud of. I do not judge someone simply because of their different religious background. We may disagree on things, but that does not mean the respect has gone away. Just because you and someone else may disagree on something, does not mean that the entire relationship needs to go up in flames. God made us all different for a reason.

God gave me the gift of Catholicism and I am proud of that. College made me realize that just because I am Catholic, does not mean that there is something wrong with me or that my beliefs are wrong. To everyone out there who is Catholic and has faced similar situations, know that you are not alone. I ask you to still love those who have given you harsh comments about the faith. We need to love people like Jesus would. Jesus had many trials and people tried to defy the faith but He stayed strong and true to our Father, God the Almighty. We too, must love those who try to knock us down. Love like Jesus would.

Present Day

I am currently still a devout Catholic who loves the faith and is eager to learn more. I am simply a girl in her 20s trying to become closer to Jesus. I recently started to read the Bible. I was in a dark place the last two years of college, and reading the Bible is something that I felt in my heart would help me. My best friend gifted me a Bible, and until recently I was intimidated to read it. However, it was around Christmas time when I felt it was time to open it up and read God's word. I chose to read Luke first because there are 24 chapters of Luke. I started reading on Dec. 1st and completed reading it on Dec. 24th, the night before the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Luke was all about the journey of Jesus. From His birth to His passion. It prepared me to fully celebrate His birth on December 25th. There are no coincidences when it comes to God. I believe it was in God's divine plan to have me fully immerse myself in His word around Christmas time.

Recently, I became a Communion Minister. A Communion Minister is someone who hands out the Eucharist to those who attend Sunday at Mass. I felt called to answer this form of Ministry and I am so glad I did. There are many forms of ministry. All of which are equally important. This is just one branch of ministry that I answered but there are many more out there. I am looking forward to continuing my faith and ministry at a church I have called home for many years. I pray there are more people out there, young and old, who hear and answer God's call. God knows the right time for you to hear His call. It can be frustrating if you are waiting for an answer that you feel has gotten no response yet. I am currently working through this frustration myself. We need to trust in the plan that God has for us, not the plan we have for ourselves. When you fully put your trust in God and His will, you will notice a shift in your life. If you are struggling to surrender, do not worry it is a challenging thing and God knows that. He is here to help us always. Pray to Him, talk to Him, give all of your worries to Him and you will feel his love.