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About the Author

Since my graduation from Holy Cross this past May, I have to be honest and tell you that I have not really spent as much time as I have liked to praying, and continuing my strong faith life that I had before graduation. In these past two months I have been extremely busy moving home, working, and getting myself ready for the next part of my journey. In the little time that I have spent reflecting, I have mostly thought about my four years at Holy Cross and the different things that I accomplished through my academics, athletics, and volunteer work. However, most importantly, I have recognized the one component of my time at Holy Cross that intensified the most...My Faith.

I would have to say that my faith life, spiritual awareness, and close relationship with God truly blossomed during my four years up on Mount St. James. I came to Holy Cross as a seventeen year old Protestant, Pre-Med concentration, and Math major. At that time I probably thought that I had experienced everything that I ever could have, and that college wasn't really going to change me that much. Boy was I wrong!

My first two years in college went well. I was an athlete on the Track and Field team, I had a lot of great friends, and I loved the Holy Cross lifestyle. My grades in Chemistry were not as great as I expected, but I still felt like my life at Holy Cross was complete.

During my junior year I realized that there was a lot missing in my life. I became more involved with the chaplains office, and participated in the Kenya Immersion program, a Bereavement group on campus, and a bible study group that met once a week. I also discovered the Non-denominational service that was led by Rev. Reed. For me this year was not the time when God started speaking to me, but it was the time when I began to listen to God. After two and a half years of struggling through Pre-Med classes, and not enjoying a medical internship that I had, I acknowledged that I was the one ignoring God. God didn't want me to be a doctor. That wasn't the path that I should have been taking.

I started paying attention to what God had in store for me. It was not that easy for me to do this because the past two years I had been forcing things in my life that were not really meant to be. I was trying to make my own path and fight my way down it. That clearly did not work. When I began recognizing God in my every day life, talking with God, and developing a loving relationship with God, I was much more aware of the purpose of my life. I was able to see a little more clearly, and understand some of the experiences that I had been blessed with. I found myself at a much more peaceful state where I developed the trust in God that things would work out wherever my time at Holy Cross was really taking me.

Because of this patience and trust, I got to where I am today. I have completed my time at Holy Cross. I have participated in just about every program that the Campus ministry offers, and I have changed my position in the church. I have in some ways gone from a participant and a follower, to a leader and a guider. All of this was because I had to eventually accept that God makes a path for all of our steps and it is just up to all of us to follow that path, and let it lead us to where God wants us to be.

In the beginning of August I will enter into the Jesuit Volunteer Corps for one year. I will be living and volunteering in San Jose, CA. The decision for me to participate in this program was not as hard as I thought it would be. During the months of January and February this past year, I spent a lot of time asking myself what I was ever going to do after graduation. The thoughts of grad school, a job, or an international program all came into my head. However, with a lot of time reflecting and praying, I realized what it was I was meant to be doing. This is when I made my decision to accept to be a Jesuit Volunteer. I had been able to recognize God's presence in my life, and see what it was that was on my path. Even though I may not know where this experience will take me in a year from now, I trust that with a strong faith, and a will to serve the poor and marginalized of our world, I will be doing the work of God, our father and mother, for the rest of my life.

From the scriptures this week, the passage in Ephesians 1: 3-14 really spoke to me and reminded me of some of my experiences. Line 5 reads, "He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." The past four years have allowed to me recognize that we are all children of God. We have all been blessed with air to breathe, with families to live with (for however long), and with opportunities awaiting us. As children through Jesus Christ, the son of the Lord, we have been given a life to live in which every second, minute, and hour has purpose for our everlasting goal, to return home to God. In knowing this, I have been able to be much more thankful for the little things in my life. My experiences have shown me that through good times and bad, loving God with the unconditional love that we have been given, will help us to forever follow the path of our journeys.

Furthermore, in lines 8-9 of Ephesians, chapter 1 it reads, "With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ." I am very touched by this line for many reasons. In my journey so far, I have had many experiences that have brought me closer to God, but also set me far apart. For this reason, I understand that it may be extremely hard to believe that God's will is the "right" will. However, I have found through heartbreak and loss, that our trust in God is the most important. If we can find the strength and the courage to trust in God, and believe that each part of our path is to help us along our journey, then we will forever be protected and blessed by the Lord's love and forgiveness.

Indeed, God's will is a mystery. But this is the fun part of life. For me, I am comfortable when I may not know where I am going, or what is going to happen to me, but as long as God is leading me, I just try and sit back, enjoy the ride, and give God the praise and glory that is deserved! In the end, "when you have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, you will have been marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1: 13-14)