At least once in a lifetime we experience something significant that changes our lives. In my case, it was simply just an entrance into a room that made the whole difference. Because I was born into a Catholic family, I have been exposed to the Catholic faith and traditions. Throughout my life I thought the religion was based on routine: we go to mass and receive Holy Communion, celebrate special holidays such as Christmas and Easter, visit our deceased loved ones at the cemetary on All Soul’s Day, and do other things of that sort. I called myself a Catholic without understanding what it actually meant to be one, but all that changed just about a year ago.

In the beginning of my sophomore year, my mother enrolled me in a confirmation class at St. Anthony Parish. I only attended it because I thought it was tradition and I had to get confirmed. I never thought it would be life-changing. In the first few weeks I was just getting used to the class. We had many discussions and lectures, nothing too exciting, but what I didn’t know was that something so wonderful was about to happen to me.

One day in class, one of the teachers asked us, “Have you ever seen Jesus?” As expected, my classmates and I answered, “no”. The teacher smiled and explained that it is possible to see Him. She said He is always present in body, blood, soul, and divinity, and that He waits for us to visit Him. In a matter of seconds, we were to be in His holy presence and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, I was perplexed.

She brought us in a chapel called the Blessed Sacrament. When I went in, I bowed down facing the front of the room, sat on one of the chairs, and faced a small, white, circular host, the same kind of host we receive in Holy Communion. I just stared at it as its simplicity overwhelmed me. After several minutes I forgot about everything, all my worries left my mind and I was in peace. I stayed there for a while and left, finding myself happy and unperturbed.

After that experience, I slowly began to understand more about my religion. From then on, I constantly visit Him and I know my life has changed. I found more meaning in my faith, in the mass, and in my life. Now I can say I am a happily converted Catholic because I entered Heaven on Earth, a place I never knew exisited before. That made all the difference.