Undergraduate / UC Prompt #1: Finding My Salvation [6]

Please read my personal statement and give me any feedback that you may have whether it may be additions or changes. I appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Prompt #1

Describe the world you come from - for example, your family, community or school - and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

I was born and raised into a faithful Catholic family, and growing up, never did I question any of the beliefs and teachings of "my" religion. We attend church religiously every Sunday and other occasional holidays. I attended catechism as a child, received my first communion in the second grade, and confirmed my Catholic faith in the tenth grade. After confirming my faith, I thought that was the end of my journey in finding my own religion, but little did I know that it was barely the beginning.

I come from a close knit family who does almost everything together. My friends have always envied the close relationship that I hold with my parents and my two sisters because they are easily the first people I go to to confide in when problems arise. Although as supportive as my parents have been throughout my whole life, I didn't know how open-minded they were going to be with the doubts that I was having about the Catholic Church. I was afraid to voice my opinions because I knew that my parents were going to think that I was just falling on the wrong "path" and I somewhat felt the same way. I thought that maybe I shouldn't pay attention to the questions that arose in my mind because they were just there to challenge me and to trip me up.

My feelings about my Catholic faith grew stronger and stronger; but I didn't know whether these feelings were positive or negative. I didn't know how to explain it, but I felt something very different in my heart. In my journey to finding God, I was able to find my own footing by myself. I eventually realized that the Catholic religion became a norm for me. I was neither happy nor sad about it, but I was comfortable. Being Catholic was what was convenient for me and being at ease was what became important.

My road to salvation became more difficult as time progressed because I was doing it alone. The people that I always had behind me were no longer there and I had to cope with my problems on my own. As strenuous as I was during this part of my life, never have I felt so passionate about finding an answer. I referred back to the bible and there, I found the answers that I was looking for.

This has shaped my dreams and aspirations because I no longer settle for something that I am comfortable with. I've realized that it is okay to ask questions and challenge the ideas around me. More importantly, I've realized that it is okay to be different. In this process, I was able to break out of my family, but in an intelligent and respectful manner. Although at times I was discouraged by the different situations going on around me, I was able to keep going and trust, acknowledge, and follow God and his goodness. It is not easy to live a Christian life, but it is easy to ridicule and mock our lifestyle. It is a growing spiritual journey and I am still learning everyday.

Religion has been and will always be a touchy subject in my family but I will eventually find the right time to tell them about my decision to part ways from the Catholic Church.