Kristel Vinoya Theology 121 B 104076 Finals

1. Kristel Vinoya | Theology 121 B

2. I used to be afraid of committing sin.
I thought I was bound to go to hell
if I did something wrong.
So I memorized prayers,
recited novenas almost everyday
… most of which I didn’t understand.
But I told myself, “this is all for God.”

3. I have never missed Sunday mass.
After all, it was a holy day of obligation.
I thought to myself,
“It will make me a better person.”
So I listened to homilies
I couldn’t really comprehend
And again, I just told myself,
“this is all for God.”

4. In another attempt at accurately and properly
expressing my faith,
this creed, I’ll say it once again, is
“all for God.”

5. I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of all that is seen and unseen.
He has created us out of his infinite love
and immeasurable compassion,
with complete freedom to ultimately
be whatever and whoever we wish to be.

6. He sent his only begotten son Jesus Christ,
who is like us in all things except sin,
to die for our sake.
As a sign of his immense love, he saved us
by giving up his own life
for our selfishness and sinfulness.

7. Through my faith, I have learned
to put my trust in God;
to make my life more meaningful through
experiences with him and Jesus Christ
and with all of the people I spend my time
on earth with.

8. Through the gospel, I am encouraged
to be more open to God’s revelations;
to return the favor by selflessly loving others
regardless of who they are, what they do,
or where they come from.
I have learned to become more vulnerable
to him, to harden not my heart to his
wonderful grace and mercy.

9. Although I am far from being an ideal
Christian, I know that I am still loved by God.
I have always been loved.
I am confident that I will be welcome to join
God in everlasting life, no matter how many
times I have turned my back against him
and ultimately rejected him.
We are never God’s last resort, even if he
is usually ours.

10. I believe in God despite all the mysteries I
will not fully understand,
despite the sins I will continue to commit,
despite the misfortunes I will have to endure.
I believe in the wonders and miracles
of prayer to God, through his son,
Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit;
one nature in three persons.

11. Ultimately, I believe that I have already
been saved; all that’s left is for me to
accept and realize God’s grace.
I believe in God and my love for him will
continue to grow,
and as long as I do all of these,
nothing else will matter;
nothing else should matter.
Amen.

12. For most of us, we have been living our life
in constant fear of committing sin
or not going to heaven.
The truth is, we have no reason to be afraid.
We are privileged to forever be His children
who are so deeply loved,
and once we establish that in ourselves,
we will become far better Christians.

13. I realize only now,
in all my 18 years of existence,
that God has been telling me
the same thing.
“This is all for you.”