By Brett Williams
At the beginning of the year it felt as if the big day would never arrive. But before you could say Catholic, Lent had already arrived. Holy Week was here. The Triduum was especially amazing, and by the time Good Friday service was over, my hunger and thirst for God was greater than I had ever felt.
I finally arrived for the Easter Vigil; this is proof that they'll let anybody into the Church. The Easter Vigil Mass went by very quickly and afterwards during the reception, many people wanted to know what my favorite part was. I was scared to think that I might be hesitant about choosing the correct answer (actually, I was more scared about dropping the Eucharist during communion). But without even thinking, I chose receiving the Eucharist. It turns out, that's the best answer. In fact, taking communion, receiving Jesus, filled me with more than I can describe. I was instantly warm from my head to my toes, which we joke that it could have been the alcohol at first; but truly there is something much more meaningful in this most holy sacrament.
It is so exciting to finally be done with the process and to be Roman Catholic. This is everything that I had been looking for and what God had waiting for me. Being Catholic means a lot to me. Most importantly this is the first body that I have actually ever felt a part of. I can finally identify with the Catholic Church instead of saying I follow God. There is something special about that. Besides an exception or two ... the Apostles and first followers of Jesus grew in faith together or with the help of others. It really is difficult to grow closer to God and be strong in faith alone on Earth. Jesus instituted the Church for all of mankind, which is meant to be a body acting as one, with Jesus as the head.
Finally, I must thank Campus Ministry and Vinci for putting up with all of our questions and for making RCIA possible. I especially wish to thank my sponsors: Andrea Dull and Fr. John Wironen. Peace be with you all.
