Ever since I could remember, I always knew God’s existence and His loving relationship with every human being on earth. As a kid, I went to Mass with my family every weekend, got Baptized, received First Communion and Confirmation while taking CCD classes. I mainly went through the motions growing up and didn’t take the Faith seriously until I received Confirmation. After receiving this Sacrament, I knew the Holy Spirit moved me to use the seven gifts I’ve received for the glory of God. During high school, I dedicated myself to do more in the Church. I got very involved with my youth group, became an altar server, and went to Mass daily. In this blog, I will be sharing my beliefs and the Catholic teachings I’ve learned.
*As a disclaimer, I am in no way trying to convince people to convert to Catholicism. I am sharing what I know and believe in, and it is okay to disagree with me. Just know that I have respect towards anyone who may or may not share the same beliefs.*
1. The Eucharist
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats* my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. John 6:53-56
When we attend mass, we become one with the Body and Blood of Christ and knowing that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. From reading this part of scripture, we can see how Jesus wants us to receive His body and blood. A recent survey has stated that ⅔ of Catholics don’t believe in the true presence. That is a very disappointing observation because that takes away the purpose of why we celebrate the Holy Mass. When we see the part of scripture saying, “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”. He clearly emphasizes His point that He literally means to eat His flesh and drink His blood. We can also see that in the Gospel of Mathew at the Last Supper,
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Mathew 26:26
Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of research on scripture. From reading the Gospel of John 6, the word “eat” is being used. When we look at the Greek translation of the word “eat,” which is “τρώγω (trógo),” meaning to “munch” or “gnaw,” where you can see that all through the Gospel of John 6. This shows how the word “eat” in this verse is not being used figuratively but is used literally. Of course, many parts of scripture have figurative language.
For example, Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming to his kingdom Mathew 16:28
The word “taste” is used metaphorically because in the Greek translation of “taste” which is “γευομαι (gevomai),” just simply means to “to experience” or “to partake of”. If Jesus wanted us to actually “taste” death, He would use a different word to represent “taste.” That is why we know that Jesus is saying that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood based on the word choice He uses. We also know that when we receive His blood and body, we become one with Jesus and bring us closer to Him in order to partake with his eternal love by being physically united with Christ.
Christ is a loving Father, He also wants us to be with Him with eternal happiness. Not only do we receive the Eucharist at Mass, but we also can witness Jesus at Eucharistic Adoration, where we pray over the Blessed Sacrament. Being able to spend time in contemplation with Jesus through the Eucharist physically shows so much beauty and moves our soul to a higher form of beauty. Of course, we can pray to Him everywhere but having the ability to be in His Church praying over His true presence is incredible. The meaning of the word “Eucharist” is the Greek word for “εὐχαριστία (efcharistía)” which means “Thanksgiving.” That is another great thing I love about Eucharistic Adoration because it provides us a chance to thank God for the blessings we have and having the ability to love and adore Him. Knowing the true presence has built my understanding of how beautiful and marvelous it is to witness Jesus in the Eucharist.
2. Knowing that God is an all-loving God and cares for each and every one of us
Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal Rock. Isaiah 26:4
In recent years, I’ve gone through many hardships at such a young age and what helped me throughout the difficult times is knowing that God is always there for me and He will never leave me. Even though going through hardships was challenging, I need to trust in the Lord and know His plan for my life. Even if I do sinful actions and might feel unworthy to be in His presence, God will never turn me down. I am only human and I made several mistakes in my life but those mistakes have helped me to become a better and stronger person. In the world we live in, sometimes we feel ashamed of our mistakes because we see people on social media living “perfect lives” but the truth is that they may be going through similar struggles as everyone else. Media can really toxic a person’s mind, thinking we need to live a perfect life in order to be happy but that’s simply not the case. God knows that we’re imperfect and even through our brokenness, we need to trust in Him, and He will bring us hope. Even if we are sinful human beings, we always will have an opportunity to be forgiven.
3. That is why we have the Sacrament of Confession.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5
Confession is not meant to shame you but to return to the state of Grace and bring us happiness. As a Catholic, I truly believe that we must confess our sins to a priest because Christ uses the Priest as an instrument to use Jesus’ power to forgive the sins of the faithful.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained John 20:23
Through His Apostles which corresponds to His Priesthood. The ability to forgive sins as Christ works through them. This is very powerful and improves my understanding that God can forgive our sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The purpose why we have the Sacrament of Confession is to help people know that God loves us and forgives us for everything we do. Some people feel ashamed of what they have done and the sins they’ve committed, but the beauty of this Sacrament helps the person to be aware of what they did was wrong but knowing they are seeking God’s will to be a more vital human being. Confession shouldn’t be known as a therapy session; it should seek discipline towards themselves, God, and others.
4. One thing to keep in mind, everything I do is a sacrifice for the glory of God
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God
1 Corinthians 10:31
It is very easy to forget about the Faith in today’s society. For example, when I run, I sometimes just think of myself doing it because I like to run, but I need to know that I am running for God’s glory. I am running to be healthy, and I could have future opportunities to run better and faster because God gave me this gift to have the ability and motivation to do His work in His Church and doing good in the world.
5. Catholicism leads to true happiness (Union with an all-knowing and all-loving God)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit Romans 15:13
Depression is a severe issue for many especially going through a pandemic. When the virus hit the US, many people went through losses from their loved ones, to struggling to keep their mental health and uncertainty about the future. When the virus became a huge issue and Churches shut everything down, I got very depressed, thinking that everything I’ve done in the past did not matter. That was a very toxic mindset but what kept me going is knowing the Faith and knowing God is with me always. For a whole three months, I wasn’t able to attend mass, which was very discouraging. Being able to participate in Mass physically and receiving the Eucharist in person is very special. It brings us the hope and peace we all need. I am so grateful for being close to God because when I lost my aunt, having God’s presence gave me hope to keep moving forward.
6. Knowing God has a plan and following what God wants for my life
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways- oracle of the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 56:8-9
I’ve recently learned a new term, called “gaslighting”. The meaning of gaslighting is a psychological term where we try to fit into a certain group of people because they are doing activities that you normally won’t feel comfortable. It makes you feel that you need to change your personality to follow what everyone else is doing. This is a toxic mindset because this will lead more into a depression phase where you might not feel you fit in but you try to act a certain anyway because you think it’s the right thing to do. One thing we need to come to realize is that God is the one who is in control and knows what’s best for us. The feeling of not fitting in is most likely God telling you that you shouldn’t change who you are and focus on what’s important in your life. Even if people continuously say that you’re “different”, it brings out the temptation that you need to change your image to “fit in” but that is simply not the case. We think that we have to change ourselves because we might not be acceptable, but the people who influence you to do bad things, are the people who need to change. That is why I love the Catholic Faith because as long as I keep developing my relationship with God even further, I am less influenced by other people.
Everything in life has a purpose and sometimes life is not going to go my way. Going through the experiences had taught me that we do not always have control over what we do, only God knows what will happen and He has a plan for us. There is so much more I want to learn and do, and I am willing to follow on with what’s next in my life. I’m imperfect and there are a lot of mistakes I’ve made but that is okay. All that matters is where I am now. Currently, I still do a lot for the Church both in New Jersey and also in Pennsylvania. I still altar serve back at home and I get involved with campus ministry at my school, where I lector during both daily and Sunday Mass.
*As a disclaimer, I am in no way trying to convince people to convert to Catholicism. I am sharing what I know and believe in, and it is okay to disagree with me. Just know that I have respect towards anyone who may or may not share the same beliefs.*
1. The Eucharist
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats* my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. John 6:53-56
When we attend mass, we become one with the Body and Blood of Christ and knowing that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. From reading this part of scripture, we can see how Jesus wants us to receive His body and blood. A recent survey has stated that ⅔ of Catholics don’t believe in the true presence. That is a very disappointing observation because that takes away the purpose of why we celebrate the Holy Mass. When we see the part of scripture saying, “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”. He clearly emphasizes His point that He literally means to eat His flesh and drink His blood. We can also see that in the Gospel of Mathew at the Last Supper,
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Mathew 26:26
Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of research on scripture. From reading the Gospel of John 6, the word “eat” is being used. When we look at the Greek translation of the word “eat,” which is “τρώγω (trógo),” meaning to “munch” or “gnaw,” where you can see that all through the Gospel of John 6. This shows how the word “eat” in this verse is not being used figuratively but is used literally. Of course, many parts of scripture have figurative language.
For example, Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming to his kingdom Mathew 16:28
The word “taste” is used metaphorically because in the Greek translation of “taste” which is “γευομαι (gevomai),” just simply means to “to experience” or “to partake of”. If Jesus wanted us to actually “taste” death, He would use a different word to represent “taste.” That is why we know that Jesus is saying that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood based on the word choice He uses. We also know that when we receive His blood and body, we become one with Jesus and bring us closer to Him in order to partake with his eternal love by being physically united with Christ.
Christ is a loving Father, He also wants us to be with Him with eternal happiness. Not only do we receive the Eucharist at Mass, but we also can witness Jesus at Eucharistic Adoration, where we pray over the Blessed Sacrament. Being able to spend time in contemplation with Jesus through the Eucharist physically shows so much beauty and moves our soul to a higher form of beauty. Of course, we can pray to Him everywhere but having the ability to be in His Church praying over His true presence is incredible. The meaning of the word “Eucharist” is the Greek word for “εὐχαριστία (efcharistía)” which means “Thanksgiving.” That is another great thing I love about Eucharistic Adoration because it provides us a chance to thank God for the blessings we have and having the ability to love and adore Him. Knowing the true presence has built my understanding of how beautiful and marvelous it is to witness Jesus in the Eucharist.
2. Knowing that God is an all-loving God and cares for each and every one of us
Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal Rock. Isaiah 26:4
In recent years, I’ve gone through many hardships at such a young age and what helped me throughout the difficult times is knowing that God is always there for me and He will never leave me. Even though going through hardships was challenging, I need to trust in the Lord and know His plan for my life. Even if I do sinful actions and might feel unworthy to be in His presence, God will never turn me down. I am only human and I made several mistakes in my life but those mistakes have helped me to become a better and stronger person. In the world we live in, sometimes we feel ashamed of our mistakes because we see people on social media living “perfect lives” but the truth is that they may be going through similar struggles as everyone else. Media can really toxic a person’s mind, thinking we need to live a perfect life in order to be happy but that’s simply not the case. God knows that we’re imperfect and even through our brokenness, we need to trust in Him, and He will bring us hope. Even if we are sinful human beings, we always will have an opportunity to be forgiven.
3. That is why we have the Sacrament of Confession.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5
Confession is not meant to shame you but to return to the state of Grace and bring us happiness. As a Catholic, I truly believe that we must confess our sins to a priest because Christ uses the Priest as an instrument to use Jesus’ power to forgive the sins of the faithful.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained John 20:23
Through His Apostles which corresponds to His Priesthood. The ability to forgive sins as Christ works through them. This is very powerful and improves my understanding that God can forgive our sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The purpose why we have the Sacrament of Confession is to help people know that God loves us and forgives us for everything we do. Some people feel ashamed of what they have done and the sins they’ve committed, but the beauty of this Sacrament helps the person to be aware of what they did was wrong but knowing they are seeking God’s will to be a more vital human being. Confession shouldn’t be known as a therapy session; it should seek discipline towards themselves, God, and others.
4. One thing to keep in mind, everything I do is a sacrifice for the glory of God
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God
1 Corinthians 10:31
It is very easy to forget about the Faith in today’s society. For example, when I run, I sometimes just think of myself doing it because I like to run, but I need to know that I am running for God’s glory. I am running to be healthy, and I could have future opportunities to run better and faster because God gave me this gift to have the ability and motivation to do His work in His Church and doing good in the world.
5. Catholicism leads to true happiness (Union with an all-knowing and all-loving God)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit Romans 15:13
Depression is a severe issue for many especially going through a pandemic. When the virus hit the US, many people went through losses from their loved ones, to struggling to keep their mental health and uncertainty about the future. When the virus became a huge issue and Churches shut everything down, I got very depressed, thinking that everything I’ve done in the past did not matter. That was a very toxic mindset but what kept me going is knowing the Faith and knowing God is with me always. For a whole three months, I wasn’t able to attend mass, which was very discouraging. Being able to participate in Mass physically and receiving the Eucharist in person is very special. It brings us the hope and peace we all need. I am so grateful for being close to God because when I lost my aunt, having God’s presence gave me hope to keep moving forward.
6. Knowing God has a plan and following what God wants for my life
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways- oracle of the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 56:8-9
I’ve recently learned a new term, called “gaslighting”. The meaning of gaslighting is a psychological term where we try to fit into a certain group of people because they are doing activities that you normally won’t feel comfortable. It makes you feel that you need to change your personality to follow what everyone else is doing. This is a toxic mindset because this will lead more into a depression phase where you might not feel you fit in but you try to act a certain anyway because you think it’s the right thing to do. One thing we need to come to realize is that God is the one who is in control and knows what’s best for us. The feeling of not fitting in is most likely God telling you that you shouldn’t change who you are and focus on what’s important in your life. Even if people continuously say that you’re “different”, it brings out the temptation that you need to change your image to “fit in” but that is simply not the case. We think that we have to change ourselves because we might not be acceptable, but the people who influence you to do bad things, are the people who need to change. That is why I love the Catholic Faith because as long as I keep developing my relationship with God even further, I am less influenced by other people.
Everything in life has a purpose and sometimes life is not going to go my way. Going through the experiences had taught me that we do not always have control over what we do, only God knows what will happen and He has a plan for us. There is so much more I want to learn and do, and I am willing to follow on with what’s next in my life. I’m imperfect and there are a lot of mistakes I’ve made but that is okay. All that matters is where I am now. Currently, I still do a lot for the Church both in New Jersey and also in Pennsylvania. I still altar serve back at home and I get involved with campus ministry at my school, where I lector during both daily and Sunday Mass.