Being Catholic

(That will be me Friday with Bishop Fiorenza)

As many of you may already know, I am getting Confirmed this Friday. I have been going to Confirmation classes once a week since September. After school, I sit in rush hour traffic on my drive to St. Justin Martyr, the church Jesse has gone to all his life. After my parent's divorce, I didn't have a church to call my own. I would go to my dad's church (St. Anne's) on the weekends I was with him and loved it there so much. When I graduated from Baylor and moved back to Houston, I knew that one of the first steps I would have to take as an adult was to find a church to call my own. Jesse and I went to St. Anne's and it didn't feel right. Even though it's the place I've dreamt about getting married in since I was 4, it wasn't the place I could grow spiritually as an adult. We started going to Jesse's church and it couldn't be more perfect. It's in the middle of Alief, so it's very diverse. There are about 2,500 families registered there and the majority are Vietnamese or of African descent. Everyone is so warm and nurturing there, I knew that that is where I wanted to fulfill my last sacrament -Confirmation - as soon as I met Father Paul. (Well, my last sacrament before I get married..someday...)

Here's a short run down about Sacraments for those of you who are not Catholic and find it weird that we have to do so many things at different points in our lives to prove our faith:

1. Baptism: For Catholics, the Sacrament of Baptism is the first step in a lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship. Whether we are baptized as infants or adults, Baptism is the Church's way of celebrating and enacting the embrace of God.
2. First Communion: Catholics believe the Eucharist, or Communion, is both a sacrifice and a meal. We believe in the real presence of Jesus, who died for our sins. As we receive Christ's Body and Blood, we also are nourished spiritually and brought closer to God.
3. Reconciliation/Confession: The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as the Sacrament of Penance, or Penance and Reconciliation) has three elements: conversion, confession and celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness, and as a result we are called to forgive others.
4. Confirmation: Confirmation is a Catholic sacrament of mature Christian commitment and a deepening of baptismal gifts. Like Baptism and Eucharist, it is a Sacrament of Initiation for Catholics and a Sacrament of faith in God's fidelity to us.
5. Marriage: For Catholics, the Sacrament of Marriage, or Holy Matrimony, is a public sign that one gives oneself totally to this other person. It is also a public statement about God: the loving union of husband and wife speaks of family values and also God's values.
6. Holy Orders: In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, or Ordination, the priest being ordained vows to lead other Catholics by bringing them the sacraments (especially the Eucharist), by proclaiming the Gospel, and by providing other means to holiness.
7. Anointing of the Sick: The Catholic sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, formerly known as Last Rites or Extreme Unction, is a ritual of healing appropriate not only for physical but also for mental and spiritual sickness.

(taken from AmericanCatholic.org)

For Confirmation, I had to choose a sponsor and my patron saint to be named after. I chose my Godmother from Baptism (Bertha) to be my sponsor and to be named after St. Thomas More who is the patron saint for law and government. Maybe he'll help me with finals!

People usually get Confirmed in the Catholic Church when they are in high school. It is a sacrament where a young adult gets to proclaim themselves that they believe in Christ and will follow the teachings of the Church. I was very busy in high school, and so were parents, so my confirmation was not of utmost priority. The minute I moved back to Houston I started thinking morbid, yet eye opening thoughts like: if I were to die this very minute, I would not be able to have a Catholic ceremony because I was never fully initiated in the Church. At that point, I realized I wanted to learn about my faith and become closer to God. I prayed and prayed between June and September, trying to make sure that this is what I wanted to do. Getting initiated in to anything is a big deal, and forming a covenant with God is a HUGE DEAL, and I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting in to. No backsies with J. Christ. Many people rush to fulfill their sacraments because they want to have a full mass at their wedding, but I did it because I was scared to not be buried as a Catholic if I died. Morbid, I tell ya. And that's where my spiritual journey with Christ and the 15 faithful in my adult confirmation class began last September. I have grown to love and respect the other adults getting confirmed with me and am looking forward to Friday when I am fully initiated into the Catholic Church and can proclaim my love for Christ in this very special way!