May 2023

     Almost a year ago, I had the weakest connection to my faith in my life. I had been
ignoring God for distractions like baseball, video games, friends, social media, and school. I felt great about all my success with sports and status with friends in life and on the Internet. One thing was lacking though, the feeling of being complete; there was a puzzle piece missing in my life.

     Fortunately, one day in June, I met a very special girl, and she was deeply involved with her faith. My faith life was about to be found little did I know; I started going to Mass again simply to spend time with this girl. The time spent at Mass began to change my view of Christ and His importance. Attending Mass became more of a desire to spend time with God and learn about His doings.
I became invested in learning and hearing about God's teachings. The parables, lessons, Scriptures, and traditions of the Christian faith ran deeper in me and I began to understand the faith more every day.

     I started to recognize connections in deeper meanings of scriptures; my junior year of high school dialed up the learning more than ever though. I was assigned and still take Personal and Social Morality. This is the most challenging religion class I have ever taken; it makes one think about the smallest and most intricate details of the Christian life. It teaches one how to live morally and how to perceive the world for what it is. The topics covered are based on C.S. Lewis, Boethius, and Our Moral Life in Christ by Peter V. Armenio. C.S. Lewis reviewed the four levels of happiness, which describe things, people, and God as successive levels to be happier. Boethius presented understandings to life questions and answers to following God. Our Moral Life in Christ explains the path of leading a moral life and how to treat others equally. Going through all these studies, I have learned how to be happier, understand
why things in my life occur, and how to be a better person to myself and others.

     During this transition back to Christ and learning to be a better man through religious teachings, I had been attending CYO at Saint Catherine for about two years. When I discovered CYO, I went strictly to hang out with old friends; I had little to no interest in the religious parts. In the past year, I have enjoyed speaking on topics within small groups; I love talking about faith teachings and participating in the religious activities done at CYO. My faith had been growing more and more each month.

     Around January's end, I participated in the Sacrament of Confirmation. I felt flooded with the Holy Spirit when the Archbishop placed his hand on my head and blessed me. I was renewed, it felt like. Having another sacred Sacrament under my belt had me on a religious high; I was ecstatic and cared for with my family’s support. A few months later, I was still attending Mass, praying, and learning about Christianity.
My Junior retreat, Kairos, recently occurred, and I had never felt so in touch with my faith. We did so many activities in small groups to talk about and improve our faith life. I spent time with my friends all day; we explored the campus and learned about each other on deeper levels. The retreat tested my knowledge on Christianity, and strengthened my faith to the most it has ever
been.

        My journey started a year ago when I was denying myself a faith life. I have grown and will keep growing with every day I live. All this blessing of returning to the faith is thanks to that very special girl who brought me back to God. I feel fulfilled with Christ taking part in my daily life.