Healing

I attended a special Mass today at 3pm in my parish, Our Lady of Refuge, in Castroville, CA. This Mass was part of a Parents’ Retreat for their children who have signed up for the Religious Education Classes for 2014-2015 - Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation.

The Mass was celebrated from a visiting priest and the deacon. When Mass started, the priest asked the parents and parishioners to think of one thought that has been hurting them and how they are dealing with pain inside them. I could think of many thoughts in my head, but there is one thought that I have been dealing with. It’s about a student whom I meet at school and never heard from him again. What he taught me was that he ALWAYS relied on God, regardless of what was happening in his life.

Also, during the Mass, the priest mentioned forgiveness too, and asked if we ever forgave someone in our life. Right away, I thought about a classmate that I have known since junior high who was very impolite and obsessively sent text messages because he wanted to renew a friendship, and I blew him off, even though he believed in God. Overall, his impression of me was one of being self-centered, focused on myself, and having these pity parties over nonsense things, like jobs or relationships.

Then during the homily, the priest shared three thoughts to be aware of: 1) World, 2) Flesh, and 3) The Devil. He gave an example of each of them. While he was talking, I started to cry, as if he was speaking to me, and this could be a reminder to me that people love me. For example, the world, it is not all the sun, breezes, oceans, and flowers, but what is going around the world in different countries which have conflicts, and how brothers, sisters, and children are suffering because of how they are treated. The flesh, is not just being created by God, but how we see our own flesh. For example, parents telling a child how he or she should live their life. Of course, the Devil is a spirit that will convey to a person that he or she is nothing or worthless, and how these thoughts, which are lies, are true, but are not. The Devil is a spirit that wants to bring us down and make us feel helpless. What made me think of these three thoughts, that will be brought up again during Lenten season, is that I’ve been focusing on my relationship with God. I believe that He will do good things. He is teaching me to be thankful, to be patience, to forgive others, and to be humble. Though I could feel ashamed or prideful because I felt that I have never forgiven people whom I have hurt.

When Mass was coming to a close, the priest invited the parents and parishioners that they were welcome to come in the middle of the aisle of the Church to receive healing blessing. The priest and deacon put their hands on our heads and said a prayer. Even though, I’m not a parent or sponsor. This was a good opportunity to get a blessing. When my turn came up, I closed my eyes, and afterwards, while leaving the Church, I felt healed within myself.

Overall, what I got out of this Mass today is that regardless of what is going on with me, I need to remind myself that even though I feel like the underdog, I know God will ALWAYS love and forgive me of how I act towards people in the workforce, within relationships, and how I interact with my neighbors because He has suffered.