Is it a house or a church?!

Today being Sunday, the Sabbath, the holiest day of the week, I thought it would be a great idea to better my spiritual wellness by going to church. The church I went to back home was very small and close knit. It was a community of people who knew and cared for each other, and I was comfortable there. The idea of going to a new church was kind of intimidating and just generally unappealing to me, but a bunch a people from my dorm go to a church on campus so I decided to try it.

The church is run by the Catholic Campus Ministry out of a small house really close to campus. At first I did not know how to feel about attending a mass in a house. I went inside and there was a dog running around and people not wearing shoes. At this point, I was ready to write this church off as not a good fit for me, but I still stayed for mass.

Before the mass started we were asked to greet our neighbors, and all the people were really friendly. I noticed during the opening hymn that every single person in the room was singing. I started to relax and let myself enjoy the mass. I really liked how the homily was directed towards college students, since we are the majority of the congregation. Everyone said their intentions aloud during prayer, and we prayed with each other as a community of faith. The quality of the service and the general friendliness of the members of the church pleasantly surprised me. Sister Rose, one of the leaders and coordinators of the church, invited me to come to a community breakfast on Tuesday, which I am gladly attending. I can say my first opinion of the church changed drastically over the course of an hour, and I am really excited to have found a church with such a great community feel.

My new "church"

Finding Time for Myself

Do you ever feel like you are never alone? If you are a college student then the answer is most certainly yes!!! We live in a room the size of a shoe box with another person whom we have to constantly share space with. If we walk outside our rooms, there are people in the common area, people in the bathroom, people outside, so basically we are surrounded by people.

Today, for the first time in awhile, I took some time to be alone. This was actually rather difficult for me because I am a very social person and take comfort in the presence of others. After going to the gym, the weather was so gorgeous outside I decided to take a walk along some of the emptier sidewalks of campus. I used this time to thank God for little delights in life like wonderful weather. I even sat on a bench and said a few prayers. I was so happy that on this hectic Friday I could find some time to be alone with the Lord.

"Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God."

-Anonymous

Motivation in Unlikely Places

Who would have thought my first step toward better spiritual wellness would be through a bad case of bronchitis? I certainly did not! Late last night I found myself tossing and turning, coughing and hacking, constantly blowing my nose, and quite unable to sleep. As the little numbers on my clock rounded on four in the morning, my mind started wandering deliriously...

I found myself in casual mental conversation...with God. There was no reciting of verbose prayers or creeds, just me thinking silent thoughts about my life. I told God about the goals I set in high level wellness along with other good things and anxieties from throughout my day. I asked for his help in reaching these goals and working through all my problems. Before I knew it I had drifted off to sleep.

I never thought the time I would be most motivated to pray would be when I was feeling so sick, but I really enjoyed the casualness of my silent "prayers". It reminded me not to suddenly force myself back into my faith, but to let it happen naturally. I woke up this morning with a smile on my face :)

And so the Journey Begins

Welcome to the first of a series of blogs tracking the journey of me, Christine Lopez, as I make my way towards better spiritual wellness. Spiritual wellness can mean different things to different people, but to me it means being strong in my Catholic faith. Before entering college, I went to Church every weekend with my family and attended a Catholic School, where I was consistently surrounded by people who shared my views and encouraged me to live my life the Christian way.

Now here I am over halfway through my first year at college and I realize that my faith has taken a hit:
-I do not go to Church on Sundays anymore. The familiarity of my old Church back home is all that sounds appealing to me on a Sunday morning.
-I do not pray on a daily basis like I used to. This was not a conscious effort to stop praying, but the consequence of too much homework, too many activities, and not enough time alone to pray.
-I do not feel like God is guiding my everyday thoughts and actions as strongly as I used to.

The moral of this story is: it's time for a change. I have set a goal to strengthen my faith between now and March 27th. I will accomplish this by devoting more time to practicing my faith through church, prayer, and reflection and by working to make sure all my actions are consistent with the laws and values laid out in the Bible. To accomplish this goal I must change not only my way of thinking, but also my way of acting. This is not going to be easy, but I can only imagine how wonderful it will feel to be confident in my faith once again. And so my journey in faith kicks off today. For the next 5 weeks I will consciously devote my time and energy towards facing the right direction on the spiritual wellness continuum.