St. Mary Catholic Church

When we experience a sign of genuine love, whether it be the embrace of a loved one, an undeserved favor, a cool breeze on a hot summer day...oftentimes it is something we can't explain. And that is how God works. He is love and He is in the midst of the things we can't explain. The things that leave us in awe and make us question, what did I do to deserve that?

God. Many people have tried to explain God but, the thing is, how can you put into words this being that is Love itself? This being that is Who is. No human words or imagination can fathom His greatness and that is when the beauty of faith comes in.

God sometimes seems like a black hole. An abyss or a mystery that many people want to reject or try to find explanations for how this thing they can't seem to comprehend came to existence, or how it can even exist to begin with. But what many many other people have found that when they embrace this mystery---when they take a leap into that dark place they initially saw as empty, they are glad they did. For they see that in this unknown place they are met with light and joy. I like to call it the paradox of God. He brings light to the darkness, and joy to our sadness. The type of joy that people spend a lifetime searching for.

Christ. To me, Christ is a role model and friend. He is the Son of this being that is Love itself—therefore, he is the human form of love. I strive to live as an example of this man, which can honestly be hard sometimes. Christ was a man, He lived 2,000 years ago, and he was a leader for many. I am a woman, I live in the 21st century, and I am by no means a leader to the thousands of people that Christ was a leader for. Nevertheless, I strive to live a Christ-filled life. Why? Well, over the past few years I have realized that this thing we call “life” can be scary and fly by so fast, and it is up to us to live it out in the best way possible. I want to love genuinely, I want to be genuinely joyful, I want to be the best I can be, and so far I have found that only with God I am able to do that.

Yes, faith is a difficult thing, and I have to admit my faith is not perfect—it is still on a journey that I can tell lies a long way ahead of me. But, living with the example of Christ has been the greatest experience I have had. I could choose to live on my own (which let me tell you from experience, is not the greatest choice), or live as a follower of another great leader such as Buddha, or Muhammad, which wouldn’t be bad either, as they were great leaders. But, I have found that Jesus Christ is the most complete form of love and joy (John 16:24).

So, the next time someone asks you, “How can you live for someone who lived 2000 years ago?” or “How can you say you have a ‘relationship’ with someone who you cannot even see?” Reply with, “Have you ever tried it?”

Just like when we were little kids and we thought we would not like trying something new (like those funny-looking mini trees on our plates, also known as broccoli), our parents used to tell us, “How do you know you won’t like it, if you have never tried it?” 

How do you know you won’t like living your life with God by your side, if you have never tried it?

The 22 years of life I have lived have taught me that, as the Saint John Paul II put it, “life with Christ is a wonderful adventure.”

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My name is Elizabeth Marin and I am the Coordinator for the Lifeteen High School Youth Ministry at St Mary's Parish in Fontana.  I am 22 years old and graduated from UCLA in the summer of 2018 and am now attending Claremont Graduate University for Teacher Education.  I come from a humble Catholic home-my parents are immigrants from El Salvador and found the Catholic faith when they came here to the United States.  On my free time, I enjoy running, hiking, hanging out with friends and family, and try to live my days in prayer.  I also engaged and will be getting married (to Diego) this year God-willing!  I love to serve others and meet new people as I find that every human is unique and interesting.

That's me on the far left.  Yes I have 3 brothers!