So when I was younger I was raised Catholic. Mom, dad, little brother, we all went to church
on Sundays. I remember when I was about maybe 9, 10, my dad wouldn't go to church and my
little brother kind of followed suit, he'd do a little under the bed, he'd grab onto
the bed legs, he'd hide under the bed and he wouldn't let himself get dragged out, but
it would just be my mom and I going to church. And it felt very natural, but I never really
got 100% into it until later in my family. I remember when I was 13, my parents separated
and divorced. When that happened, of course you go between the two houses. When I was
with my dad, he'd be very, very critical of the Catholic church. Whenever I tried to bring
up things about my faith, he'd kick me out of the house. I'd get to do a long walk of
shame back to my house. It was not the best time, but I remember especially when I was
getting ready to be confirmed. We went on a confirmation retreat to Stanwood, the Worm
Beach retreat, it's a very fun retreat. But right during confession, I was talking to
the priest and I was talking to him like, I haven't been the nicest to my dad. I explained
to him the scenario. And the priest said, Luke, pray for your father. And I'm smart,
I'm like, yeah, right, right. Pray for my father. I'm not going to do that. And I go
out and I get ready to do my penance. And I go, God, I'm not sure this is going to work.
I get a one word response, really. I was like, okay. And so I go through it and I pray for
my father. Within the next week, papers came in, I didn't have to see him anymore. I was
rid of this problem that had been plaguing me for over three years. This feeling of fear,
anger, guilt. And I was freed of that. And it took me a little while to realize God had
done that for me. He had taken away this burden, this fear, the pain, all of that. It was incredible.
At Eastlake, or at my high school, general consensus is that it's a very progressive
school. And a lot of the Catholic Church's views are considered outdated or antiquated
or evil in some way or another. And the knowledge that even though Catholics are the minority
in the public at school, we're not fighting a losing battle. We have won the battle. It's
just we have not won the war. And that knowledge just kind of helps you go through it.
I turn to a lot of times to the anchor program. That's very helpful. I've got the Mary Queen
of Peace app downloaded on my phone every morning at breakfast. I'll pull it up. I'll
read the daily readings. And I'll ask my mom. My mom is very handy. She's also a Catholic
and she's very knowledgeable. Well, if you're looking to sum it up in one word, it's God.
Everything, our entire faith, all of the actions between all the Catholics ever, all that stems
from God. I think confirmation is the most powerful of the sacraments, a part of our
faith in particular, just because you're filled with the Holy Spirit and you're able
to go out and change the world. I don't know the exact verse, the number and where to find
it exactly. It's towards the beginning of the Gospel of Mark. And Jesus says, do not
be afraid, just believe. And this verse really just kind of sums up what it is to be a Catholic
in today's world. It's not that there isn't anything to be afraid of. There are things
to be afraid of, but just this faith and this belief in God, it's very protecting. You don't
have to be afraid of these scary things because God is here.
