My Journey into the
Faith
Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Sacred Heart Community,
My name is Jose
Maldonado and I honestly do not know where to start. This letter is to
describe my journey into the faith, but it is hard to find the words to do
such a thing. Well, here goes nothing.
I was born into a Hispanic family where Catholicism was your only option in
religion. So, at six months of age I was baptized into the faith. As the
years came and I could understand what people said, we went to a Catholic
church in Los Angeles in the Crenshaw district. As far as I remember, they
were the most boring hours of my life. Eventually, we stopped going. I
assumed it was because my parents saw how bored my brother and I were. But,
I later found out that my parents were asked not to return with my brother
and me, so they chose not to return at all. Don’t get me wrong. We were not
irritating little kids. My brother and I were 4 and 6, respectively and,
like any small children, we were constantly asking if it was over yet.
Consequently, my mother stopped attending church but remained Catholic in
her heart. My father, on the other hand, resented the church and fell away
from Catholicism and religion in general. Thus, I developed the same
mentality as my father; that man is better off without religion. Until just
recently…
About two years ago, I fell in love with someone who had just
converted to Catholicism. I would constantly argue about religion telling
her that religion and faith was just a farce. But, she invited me to a Mass
just to see it and then finalize my decision on Catholicism. And so,
hesitantly, I did go. And, to this day, I do not regret it. I felt like I
was at home.
Luckily, at the time I started attending Mass, RCIA was just
around the corner. So, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to finish
what my parents started. Unfortunately, I had a very strong pull to stay
away. I felt like I had someone behind me saying, “Don’t Go! This is not
what you want! You know you won’t believe!” With regret I say this, that
voice won. I began to not want to go to class, not want to go to Mass, and
just stop where I stood. But as I forced myself to go to class, we discussed
the “spiritual warfare” that we would encounter. So I began to pray; for
strength and guidance.
A year later, I find myself writing this letter to all of
you, as I enter the final stages of completing my Sacraments. I have
overcome my obstacles with the help of my RCIA instructors and the leaders
of our church (Fr. Tran, Fr. Michael and Fr, Tom), and for this I THANK
THEM ALL.
As for what I have in mind for the future, I plan on becoming a more
involved member of this community. I am looking forward to being welcomed
into the Knights of Columbus; I plan on visiting the Carmelite Sisters at
the Mount Carmel in the Desert Retreat Center; and most importantly,
completing the Sacrament of Marriage at Sacred Heart Church in October. I
feel so overwhelmed with joy. As a new member of the church, I open the
invitation to those of you that want to come in, just as the invitation was
opened for me. May God continue to bless us all. Happy Easter!
Jose Maldonado |
