I am a Catholic woman in my mid-20s currently pursuing a MA in Pastoral Studies at a small Catholic university. I am a Chemical Engineer currently working in the oil industry as well. In the past, I have been a Catechist and a Youth Minister and now I am serving in my parish’s Social Ministry.
I was born and raised Catholic in Venezuela, but it was not until my late teenage years when I had a reversion to Catholicism right after I was confirmed in the Church. I turned my eyes and my heart to the Lord after reading the Confessions of St. Augustine accompanied by a lot of prayer. My second reversion to Catholicism started right after I went on a pilgrimage to World Youth Day, which included Assisi (picture on the right) and that is when I started having a strong connection with St. Francis, which inspired me to read many saints and Catholic authors about embracing the poverty commanded by the Gospel. This second “awakening” started becoming more and more real when I was taking a Catholic Social Doctrine class with a priest from my Louisiana diocese. The richness and challenge that this part of Church doctrine offers to us was immensely eye-opening to me, which gave rise to many questions surrounding my lifestyle and my everyday decisions. The most striking passage I read while taking this class was one by Pope John Paul II regarding the grave responsibility we all have towards each other and that our concerns towards others should not be limited to mere compassion, but that the Gospel does in fact require action from us:
This then is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all.” (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 38)
This blog is a humble attempt to move towards self-emptying; to realize in small ways our participation in the infinite Trinitarian love to which we have entered through our Lord Jesus Christ and build a “civilization of love.”
The saints and Catholic personalities who have influenced me the most and continue to do so are St. Francis of Assisi, St. Augustine, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Josemaría Escrivá, Peter Maurin, St. Katharine Drexel, St. Francis de Sales, Bl. Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, Pope Leo XIII, Pope Pius XI, Pope Pius XII, Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Henri de Lubac and Jean Danielou.
