“God is my best friend”

How do young people describe their faith? We asked a few young adults what God means to them and how their faith impacts their lives.

“Being Catholic means holding myself accountable for my actions to maintain peace in my life and stay connected to God. This is easier said than done!

As a young adult, attending college away from home is like entering a whole new world without parents or “rules.” This newfound freedom was the ultimate test for me. There were an overwhelming number of opportunities to try new things, but it wasn’t easy to discern whether an invitation would be something that would help me grow or would lead me on a path away from God.

One of my biggest struggles in college was finding the right balance between having a good time and making the right decision. I didn’t want to miss out, so I took the opportunity to try new things. I convinced myself that I was allowed to have new experiences if my assignments were completed, and I was still attending Mass every Sunday. And eventually, I was in charge of my decisions.

I realized this lifestyle was not sustainable after noticing a change in myself – I felt more drained and became less positive than my usual self. I was compromising my peace instead of prioritizing it. To change that, I had to set boundaries, finding the balance between having fun and making the right decision. I understand now that I can’t maintain peace in my life and follow every invitation I get.

An d the biggest lesson I learned from this experience was that it’s not enough only to attend Sunday mass. My faith is something that should be present every day of my week!”

Teresa Saenz, Communication Major at Texas A&M University in College Station

“My faith is my joy; it’s my reason, my hope; it’s my everything. I can’t necessarily say that I came to the faith; my faith came to me. Nothing has been more accepting, welcoming, respectful, and encouraging than God’s Love. I never had doubts in God, but I doubted whether I was worthy. God resolved it: it was during adoration, and I was thinking, “Man, I’m not worthy to be here; I don’t deserve to be here,” then the priest just walked up with the monstrance next to me. That was my sign – God wants me to be here – and my doubts disappeared.”

Miguel Salcedo,

Del Mar

College

“My faith is the love that flows through my life and touches everything I do; it fills all the cracks in my heart and shows me what I was created for.

I liked Pope Francis’s words at the Opening Ceremony of World Youth Day about how we are all unique. It touched me when he said that Jesus loves us as we are right now, not how we think we should be or think we could be. We don’t have to earn his love, and we can’t earn his love, no matter what we do!”

Kaelin Bunting, TAMUCC

“What faith means to me is not just only improving myself but also helping other people within the community. That is what I realized helps me to grow the most – just helping other people, sharing my talents as I do with my music, and going out every single day and evangelizing. Every day I try my best.

God is like a protector for everyone and doesn’t discriminate against anyone. He knows everyone, every corner of our hearts, but He doesn’t judge. That’s what I’m trying to do, too – not judging anyone, just loving everyone!”

Juan Gonzales, TAMUCC

“Being light, being light in other people’s lives and your own life, finding happiness and joy in the simple things and actively searching and looking for God in everything you do. I want God to be my best friend; I want to go to him with all my problems and everything I might have to bear. I know He has already taken it on His cross for me, so I should just cast my cares on him because why should I hold on to them and rely only on myself?

I’ ve had my times when I was focused only on work, and I noticed that it felt like I needed to do more. I wasn’t going to Mass regularly, which hurt me spiritually because I didn’t feel right; I knew what I needed to do, and I wasn’t doing it.

Now I try to put God at the center; I try to go to daily Mass and say the rosary every day, which has made me fall in love with Him!”

Ocean Garcia, Del Mar College