“How Pope Francis renewed the faith of this reluctant Catholic”

Photo: Aaron Almadro

A Filipino who attended a papal Mass last weekend writes of how cynicism and doubt gave way to faith:  

I had only wanted to attend the mass.

I admit, being through a lot of heartaches in 2013 and 2014 put a strain in my faith. The worst was when I lost my parents to Yolanda, my mother and father and our household help. Then just a few short months after the tragedy, after losing our home, I might also lose a portion of the land our house is on to the government in a road-widening project.

To cap it off, exactly a year after Yolanda, on the eve of its anniversary, my brother and I talked to a survivor who was at the same hotel our parents were in. His detailed description of that horrible day forced images into our heads—pain and emotions came rushing back. A few days after, I suffered an Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Yes, I’m only 30 and I suffered a heart attack.

In but a year’s time, I went through problems and heartaches as fast as smartphones change their models. Something was bound to snap. Ever since, I kept questioning God, “Why? What are you trying to do? What else will you give me? How long will you test me?”

I haven’t stepped inside a church since Yolanda. I haven’t fully accepted what happened. I am not ready to enter God’s house with anger in my heart. Then Pope Francis was about to visit our scarred land filled with many scarred people. I thought, Attending the papal mass might just give me the answers I needed.

Read it all.