Article by Phoenix writer Grace Garcia ’23:
Recently, the future and what it holds has been on my mind. I thought once I turned in some of my college applications, my stress would be gone. I realized very quickly that it does not work that way. If anything, I felt more stressed about the uncertainty of the future and how I had no control over it.
On Friday night, I hung out with my friend and tried to relax. I talked to her about how I have been feeling, and found out that she had been feeling the same stress and pressure I have. She mentioned to me that to de-stress she goes to Mass. She invited me to go with her on Saturday night. I was surprised she invited me so I wasn’t sure what to say. Ever since school started, I haven’t attended Mass because “I didn’t have the time.” In reality, I did have the time, but decided to prioritize other things over my relationship with God. I told my friend I would think about going to Mass, and I would let her know.
I woke up on Saturday morning, still feeling conflicted about whether or not to go to Mass. I thought about the comfort and clarity Mass used to bring me when I went consistently, over the summer, with my family. Upon reflection and remembering how fulfilling it felt, I texted my friend and told her I would go to Mass with her.
I arrived at The Parish Family of Curé of Ars Church, which is only a few blocks away from my house. I went inside, looked for my friend, and spotted her sitting in a pew in the middle of the Church. While walking towards her, I looked around and noticed how everything was the same: the same beautiful stained glass windows, the same altar, and the same cross I used to look at every Sunday. As soon as I sat with my friend in the pew, she immediately introduced me to all of the people sitting around us, mainly families and older couples. Even though I had never met them, I instantly felt accepted and welcomed.
The Mass started at 4:00 PM and the entrance hymn was ‘We Gather Here O Lord.’ As I was singing, I finally felt at peace. The Priest told us to reflect on this hymn and its meaning. Specifically, even though we are all individual people, we come together and are all one with the Lord. The readings from Ephesians were after the entrance hymn and introduction. This week’s Gospel came from The Book of Luke. I found this Gospel reading extremely touching. The reading suggests that oftentimes when people experience hardship or tragedy, it marks the end of their relationship with God. Instead, we should turn to God. The Gospel also talked about repentance and learning from your sins to become a better person. The recessional song was ‘Hand In Hand With Christ.’ The lyrics in this song say that even in our darkest moments, we are walking hand in hand with Jesus. After the stressful last couple of weeks I’ve had, this song really resonated with me.
Leaving Mass, I truly did feel like a different person. I learned that I’m never alone because God will always be there with me. I am definitely going to make an effort to start going to Mass every week now.
