A Faith Blown with the Wind
Lorenza Pilar C. Salvador, 33, married, is a college graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree, major in Psychology.
She serves as guidance counselor at a public technical-vocational high school where she works with high school students, teachers, parents, and the community, aiming to develop a healthy environment that’s conducive for learning.
“I help students make wise and informed career decisions and better choices in life,” she says.
Lorenza lives in Quezon, Bukidnon.
Her Story
I used to be a nominal Catholic, making justifications why I could not go to church every Sunday, why I could not tithe, why I had vices, and why I could not follow certain Biblical principles. I never read the Bible, in the first place.
I lived as if I owned my life. I believed I could do with my body whatever I pleased and I just asked for God’s forgiveness afterwards– although I never really understood what it meant to be forgiven.
I believed I was a spiritual being, but I didn’t realize my spiritual life was dead and non-existent. I always ended up empty.
Straying Away
I never went to Sunday Mass regularly. I grew up believing it was okay not to go to church every Sunday as long as I prayed before going to sleep every night— as long as I believed in God.
I did not attend other non-Catholic churches but I came to a point where I almost joined another religion. I listened to their teachings, I enjoyed sharing Bible readings with a member of their church, and I read their magazines.
Finding The Feast
I came to know more about The Feast when Feast Baliwag builders Madylene San Juan, Mark Timothy Pagaduan, and Jodhie Hizon came to Bukidnon. A colleague and I organized a one-day training for teachers and we invited Madylene and Mark as trainers/resource persons.
Since 2013, I have been regularly “joining” The Feast in PICC without leaving my kitchen. I watch The Feast via You Tube. I play Feast Videos on You Tube, turn the volume up high, and immerse myself in worship like I am at the PICC.
One thing I like most about The Feast is that the preachers are able to deliver God’s message without sounding too preachy, thus creating an inclusive and welcoming environment that makes even the not-so-religious person feel at home and comfortable.
When people feel comfortable and welcomed, they tend to be more open– open to ideas, and eventually open to teachings.
Back to the Chuch
Listening to the speakers in The Feast, I’ve realized how important it is to attend Sunday Mass regularly. And so I’ve come back to the Church, as if there’s an internal check within me that just got reactivated. Today, Sundays are never complete without me going to church. It makes me happy and I can tell God is happy about it, too. I know, because gradually, He is answering my prayers for my kids and husband to go to church with me. Actually, my husband agreed that we become members of the Seminary Benefactors Association in Bukidnon.
The Feast has made me understand why I was born and raised Catholic.
One thing about The Feast that has influenced me to go back to the Faith is its ability to strengthen people’s faith and its subtle way of helping people acquire an understanding of God’s purpose for them.
Before knowing The Feast, I was a nominal Catholic who only went with the motion– getting blown by the wind into every direction. With the help of The Feast, I somehow came to understand God’s plan for me — an understanding that I thought could only be provided to me by another religious group that takes religion “religiously.”
Most important, I like how The Feast tells me how I am freely blessed, and so I will bless others freely. It encourages people to reach their fullest potential not for personal gain but to be able to serve other people just as Jesus did. This has given me a sense of direction–a sense of purpose.
I never saw this in Catholicism before. Probably not because it wasn’t taught, but because I never had the enthusiasm to listen. The Feast has fired up that enthusiasm in me.
It isn’t until lately that I’ve come to see the beauty of Catholicism. It has no restrictions in a sense that it does not impose its beliefs, practices, and rituals on Catholics. It does, however, provide the perfect medium for everyone to experience Christ in everything one does. And once we do, one freely surrenders to Christ’s leading without coercion.
I like The Feast simply because it’s fun. People like to have fun. In the process, however, you get to gradually fall in love with Jesus. And when you love, you do everything to make your relationship with this Someone work.
In The Feast, I’ve fallen in love intensely with Jesus and this time I’ve found the determination to make this relationship work– to preserve and protect the relationship so that I may never leave His side again.
There’s nowhere else I’d rather be but here.
